Spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial Antarctic
Antarctica and its surrounding islands lie at one extreme of global variation in diversity. Typically, these regions are characterized as being species poor and having simple food webs. Here, we show that terrestrial systems in the region are nonetheless characterized by substantial spatial and temp...
Published in: | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11708/ |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:11708 2023-05-15T13:45:10+02:00 Spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial Antarctic Chown, Steven L. Convey, Peter 2007 http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11708/ unknown Royal Society Chown, Steven L.; Convey, Peter orcid:0000-0001-8497-9903 . 2007 Spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial Antarctic. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 362 (1488). 2307-2331. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2006.1949 <https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2006.1949> Meteorology and Climatology Ecology and Environment Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2007 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2006.1949 2023-02-04T19:27:30Z Antarctica and its surrounding islands lie at one extreme of global variation in diversity. Typically, these regions are characterized as being species poor and having simple food webs. Here, we show that terrestrial systems in the region are nonetheless characterized by substantial spatial and temporal variations at virtually all of the levels of the genealogical and ecological hierarchies which have been thoroughly investigated. Spatial variation at the individual and population levels has been documented in a variety of genetic studies, and in mosses it appears that UV-B radiation might be responsible for within-clump mutagenesis. At the species level, modern molecular methods have revealed considerable endemism of the Antarctic biota, questioning ideas that small organisms are likely to be ubiquitous and the taxa to which they belong species poor. At the biogeographic level, much of the relatively small ice-free area of Antarctica remains unsurveyed making analyses difficult. Nonetheless, it is clear that a major biogeographic discontinuity separates the Antarctic Peninsula and continental Antarctica, here named the 'Gressitt Line'. Across the Southern Ocean islands, patterns are clearer, and energy availability is an important correlate of indigenous and exotic species richness, while human visitor numbers explain much of the variation in the latter too. Temporal variation at the individual level has much to do with phenotypic plasticity, and considerable life-history and physiological plasticity seems to be a characteristic of Antarctic terrestrial species. Environmental unpredictability is an important driver of this trait and has significantly influenced life histories across the region and probably throughout much of the temperate Southern Hemisphere. Rapid climate change-related alterations in the range and abundance of several Antarctic and sub-Antarctic populations have taken place over the past several decades. In many sub-Antarctic locations, these have been exacerbated by direct and indirect ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Southern Ocean Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Southern Ocean The Antarctic Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 362 1488 2307 2331 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Meteorology and Climatology Ecology and Environment |
spellingShingle |
Meteorology and Climatology Ecology and Environment Chown, Steven L. Convey, Peter Spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial Antarctic |
topic_facet |
Meteorology and Climatology Ecology and Environment |
description |
Antarctica and its surrounding islands lie at one extreme of global variation in diversity. Typically, these regions are characterized as being species poor and having simple food webs. Here, we show that terrestrial systems in the region are nonetheless characterized by substantial spatial and temporal variations at virtually all of the levels of the genealogical and ecological hierarchies which have been thoroughly investigated. Spatial variation at the individual and population levels has been documented in a variety of genetic studies, and in mosses it appears that UV-B radiation might be responsible for within-clump mutagenesis. At the species level, modern molecular methods have revealed considerable endemism of the Antarctic biota, questioning ideas that small organisms are likely to be ubiquitous and the taxa to which they belong species poor. At the biogeographic level, much of the relatively small ice-free area of Antarctica remains unsurveyed making analyses difficult. Nonetheless, it is clear that a major biogeographic discontinuity separates the Antarctic Peninsula and continental Antarctica, here named the 'Gressitt Line'. Across the Southern Ocean islands, patterns are clearer, and energy availability is an important correlate of indigenous and exotic species richness, while human visitor numbers explain much of the variation in the latter too. Temporal variation at the individual level has much to do with phenotypic plasticity, and considerable life-history and physiological plasticity seems to be a characteristic of Antarctic terrestrial species. Environmental unpredictability is an important driver of this trait and has significantly influenced life histories across the region and probably throughout much of the temperate Southern Hemisphere. Rapid climate change-related alterations in the range and abundance of several Antarctic and sub-Antarctic populations have taken place over the past several decades. In many sub-Antarctic locations, these have been exacerbated by direct and indirect ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Chown, Steven L. Convey, Peter |
author_facet |
Chown, Steven L. Convey, Peter |
author_sort |
Chown, Steven L. |
title |
Spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial Antarctic |
title_short |
Spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial Antarctic |
title_full |
Spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial Antarctic |
title_fullStr |
Spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial Antarctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial Antarctic |
title_sort |
spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial antarctic |
publisher |
Royal Society |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11708/ |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
Chown, Steven L.; Convey, Peter orcid:0000-0001-8497-9903 . 2007 Spatial and temporal variability across life's hierarchies in the terrestrial Antarctic. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 362 (1488). 2307-2331. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2006.1949 <https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2006.1949> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2006.1949 |
container_title |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
362 |
container_issue |
1488 |
container_start_page |
2307 |
op_container_end_page |
2331 |
_version_ |
1766214719821053952 |