Patterns, processes and vulnerability of Southern Ocean benthos: a decadal leap in knowledge and understanding.
Stefanie Kaiser
(1, 2, 3)
,
Simone N. Brandão
(1, 2)
,
Saskia Brix
(2)
,
David K.A. Barnes
(4)
,
David A. Bowden
(3)
,
Jeroen Ingels
(5)
,
Florian Leese
(6)
,
Stefano Schiaparelli
(7)
,
Claudia P. Arango
(8)
,
Renuka Badhe
(9)
,
Narissa Bax
(10)
,
Magdalena Blazewicz-Paszkowycz
(11)
,
Angelika Brandt
(1)
,
Nils Brenke
(12)
,
Ana I. Catarino
(13)
,
Bruno David
(14)
,
Chantal de Ridder
(13)
,
Philippe Dubois
(13)
,
Kari E. Ellingsen
(15)
,
Adrian G. Glover
(16)
,
Huw J. Griffiths
(4)
,
Julian Gutt
(17)
,
Kenneth M. Halanych
(18)
,
Christoph Held
(17)
,
Charlotte Havermans
(19)
,
Dorte Janussen
(20)
,
Anne-Nina Lörz
(3)
,
David A. Pearce
(4)
,
Benjamin Pierrat
(14)
,
Torben Riehl
(1, 2)
,
Armin Rose
(12)
,
Chester J. Sands
(4)
,
Anna Soler-Membrives
(21)
,
Myriam Schüller
(6)
,
Jan M. Strugnell
(22)
,
Ann Vanreusel
(5)
,
Gritta Veit-Köhler
(12)
,
Nerida G. Wilson
(23)
,
Moriaki Yasuhara
(24, 25)
1
Biocenter Grindel and Zoological Museum
2 DZMB - German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research
3 NIWA - National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research [Wellington]
4 BAS - British Antarctic Survey
5 Marine Biology Department
6 Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity
7 DISTAV - Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences
8 Natural Environments Program
9 Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
10 IMAS - Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies [Hobart]
11 Zakład Biologii Polarnej i Oceanobiologii
12 DZMB - German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research [Wilhelmshaven, Allemagne]
13 Laboratoire de Biologie Marine
14 BGS - Biogéosciences [UMR 6282]
15 NINA - Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
16 Department of Zoology
17 AWI - Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
18 Department of Biological Sciences [Auburn]
19 RBINS - Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
20 Sektion Marine Evertebraten I
21 Unitat de Zoologia
22 Department of Genetics
23 SIO - UC San Diego - Scripps Institution of Oceanography
24 School of Biological Sciences
25 Department of Earth Sciences [Hong kong]
2 DZMB - German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research
3 NIWA - National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research [Wellington]
4 BAS - British Antarctic Survey
5 Marine Biology Department
6 Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity
7 DISTAV - Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences
8 Natural Environments Program
9 Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
10 IMAS - Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies [Hobart]
11 Zakład Biologii Polarnej i Oceanobiologii
12 DZMB - German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research [Wilhelmshaven, Allemagne]
13 Laboratoire de Biologie Marine
14 BGS - Biogéosciences [UMR 6282]
15 NINA - Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
16 Department of Zoology
17 AWI - Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
18 Department of Biological Sciences [Auburn]
19 RBINS - Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
20 Sektion Marine Evertebraten I
21 Unitat de Zoologia
22 Department of Genetics
23 SIO - UC San Diego - Scripps Institution of Oceanography
24 School of Biological Sciences
25 Department of Earth Sciences [Hong kong]
Stefanie Kaiser
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- Function : Correspondent author
- PersonId : 945651
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Florian Leese
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 769328
- ORCID : 0000-0002-5465-913X
Angelika Brandt
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 767707
- ORCID : 0000-0002-5807-1632
Abstract
In the Southern Ocean, that is areas south of the Polar Front, long-term oceanographic cooling, geographic separation, development of isolating current and wind systems, tectonic drift and fluctuation of ice sheets amongst others have resulted in a highly endemic benthic fauna, which is generally adapted to the long-lasting, relatively stable environmental conditions. The Southern Ocean benthic ecosystem has been subject to minimal direct anthropogenic impact (compared to elsewhere) and thus presents unique opportunities to study biodiversity and its responses to environmental change. Since the beginning of the century, research under the Census of Marine Life and International Polar Year initiatives, as well as Scientific Committee of Antarctic Research biology programmes, have considerably advanced our understanding of the Southern Ocean benthos. In this paper, we evaluate recent progress in Southern Ocean benthic research and identify priorities for future research. Intense efforts to sample and describe the benthic fauna, coupled with coordination of information in global databases, have greatly enhanced understanding of the biodiversity and biogeography of the region. Some habitats, such as chemosynthetic systems, have been sampled for the first time, while application of new technologies and methods are yielding new insights into ecosystem structure and function. These advances have also highlighted important research gaps, notably the likely consequences of climate change. In a time of potentially pivotal environmental change, one of the greatest challenges is to balance conservation with increasing demands on the Southern Ocean's natural resources and services. In this context, the characterization of Southern Ocean biodiversity is an urgent priority requiring timely and accurate species identifications, application of standardized sampling and reporting procedures, as well as cooperation between disciplines and nations.