The ecology and evolution of Antarctic Pycnogonida
Pycnogonida (sea spiders) are a class of globally distributed arthropods, that are particularly biodiverse within the Southern Ocean. The number of pycnogonid species and increased levels of endemism in the Southern Ocean form the basis of the hypothesis that Antarctica is the evolutionary centre of...
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University of Galway
2024
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10379/18184 https://doi.org/10.13025/14704 |
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ftnuigalway:oai:researchrepository.universityofgalway.ie:10379/18184 2024-06-23T07:47:52+00:00 The ecology and evolution of Antarctic Pycnogonida Maxwell, Jamie Alcock, Louise 2024-05-31 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10379/18184 https://doi.org/10.13025/14704 en eng University of Galway https://hdl.handle.net/10379/18184 https://doi.org/10.13025/14704 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Antarctic Pycnogonida Natural Sciences Zoology Biogeography sea spiders mitogenomes cryptic species genetics doctoral thesis 2024 ftnuigalway https://doi.org/10.13025/14704 2024-06-11T14:37:12Z Pycnogonida (sea spiders) are a class of globally distributed arthropods, that are particularly biodiverse within the Southern Ocean. The number of pycnogonid species and increased levels of endemism in the Southern Ocean form the basis of the hypothesis that Antarctica is the evolutionary centre of origin for extant pycnogonids. Despite a long history of investigation into Antarctic pycnogonids, little is known about their phylogeny, ecology, and biogeography. For example, until recently their phylogeny was based exclusively on morphology and low-resolution single gene barcodes, which was unable to resolve interfamilial relationshipsSimilarly, inferences about their ecology have been based on assumptions, interpretation of morphological characters such as their feeding apparatus, low resolution distribution patterns, and rare in-situ observations. Chapter 2 uses taxonomic keys and literature to identify 5704 sea spiders to the lowest taxonomic rank possible. I identified 81 species, across 15 genera and eight families. All records were uploaded to Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) which increased the number of stations where pycnogonids have been recorded in the Southern Ocean, southern South America, and New Zealand waters by 11% and I have increased, by 18%, the number of stations above 60 degrees latitude. Any observed epifauna were also documented. Chapter 3 used the newly generated data from chapter 2 combined with publicly available occurrence records to investigate the diversity and connectivity of pycnogonid communities either side of the Antarctic Polar Front, with an emphasis on the role of water depth. I found that at depths shallower than 1000 m, communities north and south of the front were distinct, whereas below this depth geographic structure disintegrated, providing evidence that, for pycnogonids, Antarctica becomes less isolated from other Oceans with depth. Chapter 4 used a subset of the dataset in chapter 3 to investigate whether water mass properties had a role in structuring ... Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Southern Ocean National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway: ARAN Antarctic New Zealand Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway: ARAN |
op_collection_id |
ftnuigalway |
language |
English |
topic |
Antarctic Pycnogonida Natural Sciences Zoology Biogeography sea spiders mitogenomes cryptic species genetics |
spellingShingle |
Antarctic Pycnogonida Natural Sciences Zoology Biogeography sea spiders mitogenomes cryptic species genetics Maxwell, Jamie The ecology and evolution of Antarctic Pycnogonida |
topic_facet |
Antarctic Pycnogonida Natural Sciences Zoology Biogeography sea spiders mitogenomes cryptic species genetics |
description |
Pycnogonida (sea spiders) are a class of globally distributed arthropods, that are particularly biodiverse within the Southern Ocean. The number of pycnogonid species and increased levels of endemism in the Southern Ocean form the basis of the hypothesis that Antarctica is the evolutionary centre of origin for extant pycnogonids. Despite a long history of investigation into Antarctic pycnogonids, little is known about their phylogeny, ecology, and biogeography. For example, until recently their phylogeny was based exclusively on morphology and low-resolution single gene barcodes, which was unable to resolve interfamilial relationshipsSimilarly, inferences about their ecology have been based on assumptions, interpretation of morphological characters such as their feeding apparatus, low resolution distribution patterns, and rare in-situ observations. Chapter 2 uses taxonomic keys and literature to identify 5704 sea spiders to the lowest taxonomic rank possible. I identified 81 species, across 15 genera and eight families. All records were uploaded to Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) which increased the number of stations where pycnogonids have been recorded in the Southern Ocean, southern South America, and New Zealand waters by 11% and I have increased, by 18%, the number of stations above 60 degrees latitude. Any observed epifauna were also documented. Chapter 3 used the newly generated data from chapter 2 combined with publicly available occurrence records to investigate the diversity and connectivity of pycnogonid communities either side of the Antarctic Polar Front, with an emphasis on the role of water depth. I found that at depths shallower than 1000 m, communities north and south of the front were distinct, whereas below this depth geographic structure disintegrated, providing evidence that, for pycnogonids, Antarctica becomes less isolated from other Oceans with depth. Chapter 4 used a subset of the dataset in chapter 3 to investigate whether water mass properties had a role in structuring ... |
author2 |
Alcock, Louise |
format |
Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
author |
Maxwell, Jamie |
author_facet |
Maxwell, Jamie |
author_sort |
Maxwell, Jamie |
title |
The ecology and evolution of Antarctic Pycnogonida |
title_short |
The ecology and evolution of Antarctic Pycnogonida |
title_full |
The ecology and evolution of Antarctic Pycnogonida |
title_fullStr |
The ecology and evolution of Antarctic Pycnogonida |
title_full_unstemmed |
The ecology and evolution of Antarctic Pycnogonida |
title_sort |
ecology and evolution of antarctic pycnogonida |
publisher |
University of Galway |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10379/18184 https://doi.org/10.13025/14704 |
geographic |
Antarctic New Zealand Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic New Zealand Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://hdl.handle.net/10379/18184 https://doi.org/10.13025/14704 |
op_rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.13025/14704 |
_version_ |
1802638087396786176 |