Introduction to the special issue on the Life in Antarctica: Boundaries and Gradients in a Changing Environment (XIth SCAR Biology Symposium)

Gili, Josep-Marı́a; Zapata-Guardiola, Rebeca; Isla, Enrique; Vaqué, Dolors; Barbosa, Andrés; Sancho, Leopoldo G.; Quesada, Antonio

doi:10.1007/s00300-015-1852-3

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…1a, 7; Online Resource Table S2). This pattern was previously described for sponges (Downey et al 2012) and is likely to be related to the opening of the trans-Antarctic passage ~ 60 Ma (early Cenozoic), connecting east and west Antarctica through populations of the Weddell and the Ross seas, respectively (Linse et al 2006;Marques and Peña Cantero 2010;Gili et al 2016). The subsequent glacial event in Antarctica (~ 40-30 Ma; Lawver and Gahagan 2003) might have contributed to the partial biogeographic isolation of these areas and the formation of an endemic biota distributed in different categories of endemicity, as for the hydroids (Fig.…”

Section: Endemism Distribution and Biogeographic Patternssupporting

confidence: 74%

“…It is part of the Eastern High Antarctica Zone, an Antarctic area of endemism characterized by an impoverished fauna of hydroids with vast geographical gaps interrupted by scattered records (Marques and Peña Cantero 2010). The faunistics of this area have been poorly explored (De Broyer et al 2011), hindering knowledge on biogeographic patterns, since real absences and insufficient sampling effort are commonly treated together (Gili et al 2016;Griffiths and Waller 2016).…”

Section: Endemism Distribution and Biogeographic Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biodiversity and biogeography of hydroids across marine ecoregions and provinces of southern South America and Antarctica

et al. 2021

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To better understand the biodiversity-biogeographic polar connections between southern South America and Antarctica (SSA & A), we used benthic communities of hydroids as a model to investigate marine assemblages by evaluating classic spatial divisions at different geographical resolutions. Using a georeferenced dataset of 249 species and multivariate analyses, we investigated species' distribution, composition and biogeographic connectivity, and defined assemblages of ecoregions and provinces for the area. Hotspots of rich biodiversity at risk of depletion were defined. Analyses of ecoregions have a more stratified biogeographic structure, and reveal critical regions susceptible to loss of diversity. Analyses of provinces show a clear division between Atlantic-Pacific and Antarctic-Subantartic assemblages, with high biogeographic isolation of the Subantarctic islands. Depending on spatial resolution, the biogeographic position of the Magellan area is spatially contradictory, clustering on the one hand with SSA ecoregions and on the other with Antarctic provinces. Our patterns appear to be driven by different combinations of processes and barriers, reflected in the stratified distribution of hydroids. The high level of endemism and concentration of species at the edge of distribution in the Magellan area and Scotia Arc suggest their transitional nature and particular importance for understanding the historical and ecological connections between SSA & A.

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Section: Endemism Distribution and Biogeographic Patternssupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Endemism Distribution and Biogeographic Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity and biogeography of hydroids across marine ecoregions and provinces of southern South America and Antarctica

et al. 2021

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“…The Southern Ocean can be characterized by relative constancy [ 1 ] and also sharp marine environmental gradients, the latter exemplified by conditions either side of the Polar Front (the strongest jet of the ACC) [ 116 ], the continental shelf break (the terminus of grounded ice in glaciations) [ 72 , 117 , 118 ], the marginal sea-ice zone and the ice-shelf front [ 119 ]. With ocean and atmospheric warming, Antarctic icescapes and associated marine ecosystems are expected to change, with implications for biota [ 2 , 6 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea

Frinault

Christie

Fawcett

et al. 2022

Biology

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Ice shelves cover ~1.6 million km2 of the Antarctic continental shelf and are sensitive indicators of climate change. With ice-shelf retreat, aphotic marine environments transform into new open-water spaces of photo-induced primary production and associated organic matter export to the benthos. Predicting how Antarctic seafloor assemblages may develop following ice-shelf loss requires knowledge of assemblages bordering the ice-shelf margins, which are relatively undocumented. This study investigated seafloor assemblages, by taxa and functional groups, in a coastal polynya adjacent to the Larsen C Ice Shelf front, western Weddell Sea. The study area is rarely accessed, at the frontline of climate change, and located within a CCAMLR-proposed international marine protected area. Four sites, ~1 to 16 km from the ice-shelf front, were explored for megabenthic assemblages, and potential environmental drivers of assemblage structures were assessed. Faunal density increased with distance from the ice shelf, with epifaunal deposit-feeders a surrogate for overall density trends. Faunal richness did not exhibit a significant pattern with distance from the ice shelf and was most variable at sites closest to the ice-shelf front. Faunal assemblages significantly differed in composition among sites, and those nearest to the ice shelf were the most dissimilar; however, ice-shelf proximity did not emerge as a significant driver of assemblage structure. Overall, the study found a biologically-diverse and complex seafloor environment close to an ice-shelf front and provides ecological baselines for monitoring benthic ecosystem responses to environmental change, supporting marine management.

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Towards a better understanding of Southern Ocean biogeography: new evidence from benthic hydroids

Casares

Cantero

2017

Polar Biol

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Introduction to the special issue on the Life in Antarctica: Boundaries and Gradients in a Changing Environment (XIth SCAR Biology Symposium)

Cited by 5 publications

References 78 publications

Biodiversity and biogeography of hydroids across marine ecoregions and provinces of southern South America and Antarctica

Biodiversity and biogeography of hydroids across marine ecoregions and provinces of southern South America and Antarctica

Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea

Towards a better understanding of Southern Ocean biogeography: new evidence from benthic hydroids

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