Possible effects of global environmental changes on Antarctic benthos: a synthesis across five major taxa.

• Published in: Ecology and Evolution
• Main Authors: Ingels, Jeroen, Vanreusel, Ann, Brandt, Angelika, Catarino, Ana I., David, Bruno, de Ridder, Chantal, Dubois, Philippe, Gooday, Andrew J., Martin, Patrick, Pasotti, Francesca, Robert, Henri
• Other Authors: Marine Biology Department, Universiteit Gent = Ghent University (UGENT), Zoological Museum Hamburg, University of Hamburg, Laboratoire de Biologie Marine, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Biogéosciences UMR 6282 (BGS), Université de Bourgogne (UB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ocean Biogeochemistry & Ecosystems Research Group, National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Research financed by the Belgian Science Policy (Scientific Research Programme on Antarctica), by the Oceans 2025 project of the UK National Environment Research council, and by the ESF IMCOAST project with contributions from the Research Foundation--Flanders (FWO).
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2012
• Subjects: Amphipoda; Echinoidea; Foraminifera; global climate change; Isopoda; Nematoda; Southern Ocean; zoobenthos; [SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology; environment/Ecosystems; [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00778103; https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.96

33 pages International audience Because of the unique conditions that exist around the Antarctic continent, Southern Ocean (SO) ecosystems are very susceptible to the growing impact of global climate change and other anthropogenic influences. Consequently, there is an urgent need to understand how SO marine life will cope with expected future changes in the environment. Studies of Antarctic organisms have shown that individual species and higher taxa display different degrees of sensitivity to environmental shifts, making it difficult to predict overall community or ecosystem responses. This emphasizes the need for an improved understanding of the Antarctic benthic ecosystem response to global climate change using a multitaxon approach with consideration of different levels of biological organization. Here, we provide a synthesis of the ability of five important Antarctic benthic taxa (Foraminifera, Nematoda, Amphipoda, Isopoda, and Echinoidea) to cope with changes in the environment (temperature, pH, ice cover, ice scouring, food quantity, and quality) that are linked to climatic changes. Responses from individual to the taxon-specific community level to these drivers will vary with taxon but will include local species extinctions, invasions of warmer-water species, shifts in diversity, dominance, and trophic group composition, all with likely consequences for ecosystem functioning. Limitations in our current knowledge and understanding of climate change effects on the different levels are discussed.