Distribution patterns and abundance of Antarctic benthic communities

• Main Author: Ambroso, Stefano
• Other Authors: Gili, Josep Maria, Teixidó, Nuria, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (Germany)
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña 2020
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Antártida
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/239159; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100003329; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100003207

Memoria de tesis doctoral presentada por Stefano Ambroso para obtener el título de Doctor en Ciencias del Mar por la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), realizada bajo la dirección del Dr. Josep-Maria Gili Sardà del Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) y de la Dra. Nuria Teixidó Ullod de la Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn.-- 140 pages, figures, tables, annexes [EN] Knowledge of the abundance, distribution patterns, and population ecology of Antarctic benthic biodiversity have increased considerably during the last decades. Antarctic marine benthic biodiversity has been sampled primarily in areas close to research stations and mainly at shallow depths since more than 100 years using a range of sampling methods, including benthic sleds or trawls and grabs each of which targets a particular community or habitat. Recent technological advances and increased availability of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), manned submersibles, and video equipped towed gears have significantly increased accessibility to mid and outer continental shelves, continental slopes, submarine canyons and seamounts, thus allowing the direct observation and quantitative study of megabenthic assemblages without any impact on the benthic community. Due to the high cost and logistics of these benthic sampling, particularly in Antarctica, studies are often limited to only one biological sampling method. Results of biodiversity studies are used for a range of purposes, including taxonomy, trophic ecology, growth rates, reproductive ecology, environmental impact assessments, and predictive modelling, all of which underpin appropriate marine resource management. However, the generality of marine biodiversity patterns identified among different sampling methods is unknown. This is one of the reasons why more comparative studies are necessary to better understand the ecosystem patterns and processes in Antarctic regions in a context of climate change scenario. Major regions of the Antarctic shelf appear to be undergoing rapid climate change, ...