Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctic (EBA)

Pete ConveyCo-Chair EBA

British Antarctic Survey

Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic:a model for future changes in Antarctica

Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic:the Response of Life to Change (EBA)

describe the past

understand the present

predict the future

• Climate change• Non-native species• Human pressure

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica

The SCAR EBA programme seeks to:• Understand the evolution and diversity of life in the Antarctic.• Determine how these have influenced the properties and dynamics

of present Antarctic ecosystems and the Southern Ocean system.• Make predictions on how organisms and communities are

responding and will respond to current and future environmental change.

• Identify EBA science outcomes that are relevant to conservation policy and to communicate this science to the SCAR Antarctic Treat System via the SCAR ATS Committee

EBA

Structured in five research strands or work packages

Each representing marine and terrestrial/freshwater

Workpackages

1) Evolutionary history of Antarctic organisms 2) Evolutionary adaptation to the Antarctic environment3) Patterns of gene flow within, into and out of the

Antarctic, and consequences for population dynamics: isolation as a driving force

4) Patterns and diversity of organisms, ecosystems and habitats in the Antarctic, and controlling processes

5) Impact of past, current and predicted future environmental change on biodiversity and ecosystem function

Highlights to 2006Programme new as of November 2005, both major change and continuation from predecessorsMajor elements of continuation SCAR MarBIN and RiSCC terrestrial biodiversity databasesCAML planning phasesEASIZ and RiSCC synthesis volumesAnd new advancesBiogeography and phylogeographyMicrobial diversity“Alien” species

The SCAR-MarBIN Project

Establish a Network for Antarctic Marine Biodiversity InformationSystem of interoperable databasesAccess through a single portalPortal with services and facilitiesEndorsed at SCAR28 (Bremen, 2004) as an element of EBA and CAMLGlobal linkage to OBIS and GBIF

Terms of Reference

1. Compile, link, integrate and disseminate Antarctic Marine Biodiversity Information

2. Help SCAR contribute to global biodiversity information initiatives

3. Give feedback to biodiversity information needs from ATS and SCAR

4. Contribute to assess the present state of knowledge and promote further marine biodiversity research

OBIS Ocean Biogeographic Information System

GBIF Global Biodiversity Information Facility

OBIS - Global network of collaborating marine scientists, organizationsData from museums, fisheries, universities and ecological surveysUnique network for marine biogeography at global scaleAssociate member of GBIFMegascience facility involving 42 countries (OECD)Mission: Free & universal access to world’s biodiversity data via the Internet

www.iobis.orgwww.gbif.org

SCAR-MarBIN Organization Chart

Outcomes: scientific applicationsComprehensive and evolutive census of Antarctic marine biodiversity Assessment of effects of climate changeAssessment of effects of global scale pollutionPrediction of spread of invasive speciesDetection of biodiversity hotspots from species to phylum levelsFacilitation of biogeographic synthesisIdentification of gaps in biodiversity surveys

Census of Antarctic Marine Life(CAML)

Antarctic component of the Census of Marine Life (CoML) SCAR- CoML 5-year project (2005-2010) integrated in IPY (2007-2008) programme and in SCAR-EBA programme (2006-2014)Field (multiships) activities in 2007-2008 season: unprecedented multi-scale sampling effortSCAR-MarBIN under OBIS as its information component

Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML)

Objectives:1. To undertake a species inventory of the Antarctic slope and

deep seas2. To undertake an inventory of benthic fauna in locations being

significantly affected by permanent ice cover and disintegrating ice shelves

3. To sample the plankton and the nekton of the high-latitude Southern Ocean at all levels of biological organization from viruses to vertebrates over all depths and hydrographic regimes

4. To assess the critical habitats for Antarctic top predators5. To develop a coordinated network of interoperable databases

for all Antarctic biodiversity data (SCAR-MarBIN)

RiSCC synthesis volume16 chapters, giving state of art in biological history, biogeography, climate, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, ecophysiology, evolutionary patterns, human impacts

EASIZ synthesis volumeState of the art volume (Clarke et al. 2006, Deep Sea Research Part II, 53 nos. 8-10) including 23 papers on sea ice and benthic ecology, diversity, evolutionary processes, physiology, oceanography

Large-scale Biodiversity Patterns – a Shifting Paradigm

Increasingly, knowledge of patterns does not support the dogma of recent (post Pleistocene) dispersalAt continental scale, Antarctic “Wallace Line” evident for many invertebrate groupsLittle or no species overlap between maritime and continental Antarctic in springtails, mites, nematodesSignificant regional endemism within continentReal implications for glaciological, ice sheet and geological reconstruction

b ullet

Stevens & Hogg 2003, 2006 Molec. Ecol.; Barnes et al. 2006 Glob. Ecol.Biogeog.; Peat et al. 2006 J. Biogeog;Chown & Convey in press, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc.

Location Total number

of nematode taxa present

% undescribed

Adelaide Island and northern Marguerite Bay islands(Ryder Bay)

18 0.0%

Alamode Island (central Marguerite Bay) 8 25.0% Islands north of Alexander Island in southern Marguerite Bay (Charcot, Rhyolite Islands)

12 14.3%

South-east Alexander Island 32 39.5% All sites 42 50

Molecular phylogeny“Molecular clock” approach can date evolutionary separation eventsApplied to Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia chironomids, endemic on separate tectonic elementsGenerates divergence dates c. 40 myaAnalogous approach for VL springtails, gives 1-10 MY timescaleCoincident with geological or glaciological events

Allegruci et al. 2006, Polar Biol; Stevens & Hogg, 2006 Molec. Ecol, subm. Diversity Distrib.

Human sub-Antarctic presenceVery recent in biological terms, four phases:C17-19: Early marine explorers, establishment of sealing, farming operationsC20 early-mid: “heroic age” of continental exploration, sub- and maritime Antarctic whalingC20 mid-late: IGY and development of national science programmes and research stationsC20 late, C21: further marine exploitation (fisheries), tourism (increasing)

Photos BAS, R. Worland

Occurrence of introduced speciesApproaching 200 known alien plants and animals established, most in sub-AntarcticSome drastic impacts on native species and ecosystemsMost invertebrate groups and locations poorly surveyedVirtually no microbial dataMany more species arrive and/or exist synanthropicallyVirtually no evidence of marine introductions to dateAnthropogenic frequency far outweighs natural dispersal events

Entire sub-Antarctic

Maritime Antarctic

South Georgia

Marion Prince Edward

Crozet Kerguelen Heard Mac Donald

Macquarie

Dicotyledons 62 0 17 6 2 40 34 0 0 2

Monocotyledons 45 2 15 7 1 18 34 1 0 1

Pteridophytes 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0

Total non-indigenous plants 108 2 33 13 3 59 69 1 0 3

Invertebrates 72 2-5 12 18 1 14 30 3 0 28

Vertebrates 16 0 3 1 0 6 12 0 0 6

Frenot et al. 2005 Biol. Rev.; Convey et al. 2006 RiSCC vol.; CEP workshop report and vol.

Biogeographic boundariesRisk of intra-regional transfer of “native” biota, compromising unique biotas and genetic biodiversityRisk of transfer across majorbiogeographic boundary – the “Gressitt Line”Logistic operations increasingly widespreadBreakdown of regional endemism, genetic distinctness, in one of few areas of the planet where this largely still holdsDanger of compromising future research resource Convey et al. 2000 Antarct. Sci.; Lawley et al. 2004 Appl.

Environm. Microbiol; Taton et al. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 2006; Chown & Convey in press, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc.

Increasing human contact with Antarctica

c. 5,000 research staff visit continent, and over 30,000 tourists per year (mostly Antarctic Peninsula); up to 11,000 at one site in a seasonVisit successive sitesPotential to introduce invertebrates, plants, microbial groups, No explicit demonstration of tourism-mediated introduction in regionMany anecdotal observations, to date no concerted monitoring and few dataSubject of major IPY programme under EBA

Year

No

of to

uris

ts (x

103 )

Total tourist numbers

y = 0.67x – 1329.79R² = 0.67

14

12

10

8

6

4

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002Year

No

of to

uris

ts (x

103 )

Total tourist numbers

y = 0.67x – 1329.79R² = 0.67

14

12

10

8

6

4

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Outwards interactions 2006CEP sponsored workshop “Non-native species in the Antarctic”, Christchurch NZ, stimulated by state of art RiSCC review (Frenot et al. 2005 Biol. Rev. 80: 45-72), led to working paper at Edinburgh ATCM, and…Joint SCAR ATS/EBA/IPY workshop, Stellenbosch SA, to establish baseline terrestrial biodiversity data (“RiSCC database) and quantify alien pressure, to produce working and information papers, and full journal reviewEBA contribution to LGP workshop (NZ, US, IT), and Antarctic marine evolutionary biology workshop (BE, SCAR MarBIN)

Outwards interactions - future2007 – proposed joint sessions with ACE, American Geological Society, International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences2007 – proposed joint EBA/IPY MERGE sessions at “Cryogenic Resources of Polar Regions” (Russia) (IPA)2008 – proposed EBA microbiological and biogeographical sessions within SCAR Open Science Conference (Russia), and EBA sponsored sessions at international “Extremophiles” meeting, and International Entomological Congress (South Africa)

Thank you for your attention!