Antarctic ecosystems : an extreme environment in a changing world / edited by, Alex D. Rogers ... [et al.]
Imprint
Hoboken, NJ : Wiley-Blackwell, 2012
Descript
xiv, 538 p. : ill., maps ; 26 cm
SUMMARY
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. -- From back cover
CONTENT
Terrestrial and freshwater habitats -- Spatial and temporal variability in terrestrial Antarctic biodiversity -- Global change in a low diversity terrestrial ecosystem: the McMurdo dry valleys -- Antarctic lakes as models for the study of microbial biodiversity, biogeography and evolution -- Marine habitats and regions -- The impact of regional climate change on the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula -- The marine system of the western Antarctic Peninsula -- Spatial and temporal operation of the scotia sea ecosystem -- The ross sea continential shelf: regional biogeochemical cycles, trophic interactions, and potential future changes -- Pelagic ecosystems in the waters off east Antarctica -- The dynamic mosaic -- Southern ocean deep benthic biodiversity -- Environmental forcing and southern ocean marine predator populations -- Molecular adaptations and evolution -- Molecular ecophysiology of Antarctic notothenioid fishes -- Mechanisms defining thermal limits and adaptation in marine ectotherms: an integrative view -- Evolution and biodiversity of Antarctic organisms -- Conservation and management aspects -- Biogeography and regional classifications of Antarctica -- Conservation and management of Antarctic ecosystems