Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctic (EBA) Pete Convey Co-Chair EBA British Antarctic Survey

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1 Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctic (EBA) Pete Convey Co-Chair EBA British Antarctic Survey

2 Antarctica and the sub-antarctic: a model for future changes in Antarctica Climate change Non-native species Human pressure Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic: the Response of Life to Change (EBA) describe the past understand the present predict the future

3 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

4 EBA Structured in five research strands or work packages Each representing marine and terrestrial/freshwater

5 Workpackages 1) Evolutionary history of Antarctic organisms 2) Evolutionary adaptation to the Antarctic environment 3) 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

6 Highlights to 2006 Programme new as of November 2005, both major change and continuation from predecessors Major elements of continuation SCAR MarBIN and RiSCC terrestrial biodiversity databases CAML planning phases EASIZ and RiSCC synthesis volumes And new advances Biogeography and phylogeography Microbial diversity Alien species

7 The SCAR-MarBIN Project Establish a Network for Antarctic Marine Biodiversity Information System of interoperable databases Access through a single portal Portal with services and facilities Endorsed at SCAR28 (Bremen, 2004) as an element of EBA and CAML Global linkage to OBIS and GBIF

8 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

9 OBIS Ocean Biogeographic Information System GBIF Global Biodiversity Information Facility OBIS - Global network of collaborating marine scientists, organizations Data from museums, fisheries, universities and ecological surveys Unique network for marine biogeography at global scale Associate member of GBIF Megascience facility involving 42 countries (OECD) Mission: Free & universal access to world s biodiversity data via the Internet

10 SCAR-MarBIN Organization Chart

11 Outcomes: scientific applications Comprehensive and evolutive census of Antarctic marine biodiversity Assessment of effects of climate change Assessment of effects of global scale pollution Prediction of spread of invasive species Detection of biodiversity hotspots from species to phylum levels Facilitation of biogeographic synthesis Identification of gaps in biodiversity surveys

12 Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) Antarctic component of the Census of Marine Life (CoML) SCAR- CoML 5-year project ( ) integrated in IPY ( ) programme and in SCAR-EBA programme ( ) Field (multiships) activities in season: unprecedented multi-scale sampling effort SCAR-MarBIN under OBIS as its information component

13 Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) Objectives: 1. To undertake a species inventory of the Antarctic slope and deep seas 2. 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 predators 5. To develop a coordinated network of interoperable databases for all Antarctic biodiversity data (SCAR-MarBIN)

14 RiSCC synthesis volume 16 chapters, giving state of art in biological history, biogeography, climate, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, ecophysiology, evolutionary patterns, human impacts

15 EASIZ synthesis volume State 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

16 Large-scale Biodiversity Patterns a Shifting Paradigm Increasingly, knowledge of patterns does not support the dogma of recent (post Pleistocene) dispersal At continental scale, Antarctic Wallace Line evident for many invertebrate groups Little or no species overlap between maritime and continental Antarctic in springtails, mites, nematodes Significant regional endemism within continent Real implications for glaciological, ice Location sheet and geological reconstruction bullet Total number % of nematode undescribed taxa present % Adelaide Island and northern Marguerite Bay islands (Ryder Bay) Alamode Island (central Marguerite Bay) % Islands north of Alexander Island in southern % Marguerite Bay (Charcot, Rhyolite Islands) South-east Alexander Island % All sites Stevens & Hogg 2003, 2006 Molec. Ecol.; Barnes et al Glob. Ecol. Biogeog.; Peat et al J. Biogeog; Chown & Convey in press, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc.

17 Molecular phylogeny Molecular clock approach can date evolutionary separation events Applied to Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia chironomids, endemic on separate tectonic elements Generates divergence dates c. 40 mya Analogous approach for VL springtails, gives 1-10 MY timescale Coincident with geological or glaciological events Allegruci et al. 2006, Polar Biol; Stevens & Hogg, 2006 Molec. Ecol, subm. Diversity Distrib.

18 Human sub-antarctic presence Very recent in biological terms, four phases: C17-19: Early marine explorers, establishment of sealing, farming operations C20 early-mid: heroic age of continental exploration, sub- and maritime Antarctic whaling C20 mid-late: IGY and development of national science programmes and research stations C20 late, C21: further marine exploitation (fisheries), tourism (increasing) Photos BAS, R. Worland

19 Occurrence of introduced species Approaching 200 known alien plants and animals established, most in sub-antarctic Some drastic impacts on native species and ecosystems Most invertebrate groups and locations poorly surveyed Virtually no microbial data Many more species arrive and/or exist synanthropically Virtually no evidence of marine introductions to date Anthropogenic frequency far outweighs natural dispersal events Entire sub- Maritime South Marion Prince Crozet Kerguelen Heard Mac Macquarie Antarctic Antarctic Georgia Edward Donald Dicotyledons Monocotyledons Pteridophytes Total non-indigenous plants Invertebrates Vertebrates Frenot et al Biol. Rev.; Convey et al RiSCC vol.; CEP workshop report and vol.

20 Biogeographic boundaries Risk of intra-regional transfer of native biota, compromising unique biotas and genetic biodiversity Risk of transfer across major biogeographic boundary the Gressitt Line Logistic operations increasingly widespread Breakdown of regional endemism, genetic distinctness, in one of few areas of the planet where this largely still holds Danger of compromising future research resource Convey et al Antarct. Sci.; Lawley et al Appl. Environm. Microbiol; Taton et al. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 2006; Chown & Convey in press, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc.

21 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 season Visit successive sites Potential to introduce invertebrates, plants, microbial groups, No explicit demonstration of tourismmediated introduction in region Many anecdotal observations, to date no concerted monitoring and few data Subject of major IPY programme under EBA No of tourists (x10 3 ) Total tourist numbers y = 0.67x R² = Year

22 Outwards interactions 2006 CEP sponsored workshop Non-native species in the Antarctic, Christchurch NZ, stimulated by state of art RiSCC review (Frenot et al 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 review EBA contribution to LGP workshop (NZ, US, IT), and Antarctic marine evolutionary biology workshop (BE, SCAR MarBIN)

23 Outwards interactions - future 2007 proposed joint sessions with ACE, American Geological Society, International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences 2007 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)

24 Thank you for your attention!