Journal
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Volume 2, Issue 2, Pages 453-485Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.96
Keywords
Amphipoda; Echinoidea; Foraminifera; global climate change; Isopoda; Nematoda; Southern Ocean; zoobenthos
Categories
Funding
- Belgian Science Policy (Scientific Research Programme on Antarctica)
- ESF IMCOAST
- UK National Environment Research council
- Natural Environment Research Council [noc010009, noc010004] Funding Source: researchfish
- NERC [noc010004, noc010009] Funding Source: UKRI
Ask authors/readers for more resources
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.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available