Since its discovery Antarctica has held a deep fascination for biologists. Extreme environmental conditions, seasonality and isolation have lead to some of the most striking examples of natural selection and adaptation on Earth. Paradoxically, some of these adaptations may pose constraints on the ability of the Antarctic biota to respond to climate change. Parts of Antarctica are showing some of the largest changes in temperature and other environmental conditions in the world. In this volume, published in association with the Royal Society, leading polar scientists present a synthesis of the latest research on the biological systems in Antarctica, covering organisms from microbes to vertebrate higher predators. This book comes at a time when new technologies and approaches allow the implications of climate change and other direct human impacts on Antarctica to be viewed at a range of scales; across entire regions, whole ecosystems and down to the level of species and variation within their genomes. Chapters address both Antarctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and the scientific and management challenges of the future are explored.

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InhaltsangabeContributors Introduction: Antarctic ecology in a changing world Andrew Clarke, Nadine M. Johnston, Eugene J. Murphy & Alex D. Rogers Part I: Terrestrial and freshwater habitats Chapter 1. Spatial and temporal variability in terrestrial Antarctic biodiversity Steven L. Chown and Peter Convey Chapter 2. Global Change in a Low Diversity Terrestrial Ecosystem: The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Diana H. Wall Chapter 3. Antarctic lakes as models for the study of microbial biodiversity, biogeography and evolution David A. Pearce and Johanna Laybourn-Parry Part II: Marine habitats and regions Chapter 4. The impact of regional climate change on the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula Andrew Clarke, David K. A. Barnes, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Hugh W. Ducklow, John C. King, Michael P. Meredith, Eugene J. Murphy and Lloyd S. Peck Chapter 5. The Marine Ecosystem of the West Antarctic Peninsula Hugh W. Ducklow, Andrew Clarke, Rebecca Dickhut, Scott C. Doney, Heidi Geisz, Kuan Huang, Douglas G. Martinson, Michael P. Meredith, Holly V. Moeller, Martin Montes-Hugo, Oscar Shofield, Sharon E. Stammerjohn, Debbie Steinberg and William Fraser Chapter 6. Spatial and Temporal Operation of the Scotia Sea Ecosystem Eugene J. Murphy, Jonathan L. Watkins, Phil N. Trathan, Keith Reid, Michael P. Meredith, Simeon Hill, Sally E. Thorpe, Nadine M. Johnston, Aandrew Clarke, Geraint Tarling, Martin Collins, Jaume Forcada, Angus Atkinson, Peter Ward, Iain Staniland, David Pond, Rachel Cavanagh, Rachael Shreeve, Rebecca Korb, Michael J. Whitehouse, Paul G. Rodhouse, Peter Enderlein, Aandrew Hirst, Anthony R. Martin, I. D. Briggs, Nathan Cunningham and Andrew Fleming Chapter 7. The Ross Sea Continental Shelf: Regional Biogeochemical Cycles, Trophic Interactions, and Potential Future Changes Walker O. Smith, Jr., David G. Ainley, Riccardo Cattaneo-Vietti and Eileen E. Hofmann Chapter 8. Pelagic ecosystems in the waters off East Antarctica (30°E-150°E) Stephen Nicol and Ben Raymond Chapter 9. The dynamic mosaic: Disturbance and development of Antarctic benthic communities David K.A. Barnes and Kathleen E. Conlan Chapter 10. Southern Ocean deep benthic biodiversity Angelika Brandt, Claude De Broyer, B. Ebbe, Kari E. Ellingsen, Andrew J. Gooday, D. Janussen, Stephanie Kaiser, Katrin Linse, M. Schueller, Michael R. A. Thomson, Paul A. Tyler and A. Vanreusel Chapter 11. Environmental forcing and Southern Ocean marine predator populations: effects of climate change and variability Phil N. Trathan, Jaume Forcada and Eugene J. Murphy Part III: Molecular adaptations and evolution Chapter 12. Molecular ecophysiology of Antarctic notothenioid fishes C.H. Christina Cheng and H. William Detrich III Chapter 13. Mechanisms defining thermal limits and adaptation in marine ectotherms: an integrative view Hans O. Pörtner, Lloyd S. Peck and George N. Somero Chapter 14. Evolution and biodiversity of Antarctic organisms; a molecular perspective Alex D. Rogers Part IV: Conservation and management aspects Chapter 15. Biogeography and regional classifications of Antarctica Peter Convey, David K. A. Barnes, Huw J. Griffiths, Susie M. Grant, Katrin Linse and David N. Thomas Chapter 16. Conservation and Management of Antarctic Ecosystems Susie M. Grant, Peter Convey, Kevin A. Hughes, Richard A. Phillips and Phil N. Trathan Index

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