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This week's issue of the science journal Nature carries
a paper with some of the highlight findings of the ANDEEP
project. The paper explores the questions of the biodiversity
of the deep parts of the Weddell Sea, and of whether Antarctic
deep-sea animals are very old ancestors of shallow-water
species, or whether they evolved from shallow-water species
that colonised deeper waters. The findings suggest high
biodiversity, and that the glacial cycle of advance and
retreat of ice led to an intermingling of species that
originated in shallow and deep-water habitats.
The lead author of the study, Professor Angelica Brandt
from the University of Hamburg, summarises: "The
Antarctic deep sea is potentially the cradle of life of
the global marine species. Our research results challenge
suggestions that the deep-sea diversity in the Southern
Ocean is poor. We now have a better understanding of the
evolution of the marine species and how they can adapt
to changes in climate and environments."
Dr John Howe, marine geologist at SAMS and one of 21
co-authors, says: "The study is the first step to
understanding the complex relationship between the Antarctic
seabed and the animals that live there. The fragile ecosystems
in the polar regions are extremely vulnerable to climatic
change. We examined the diverse environments of the Antarctic
deep sea, and reveal a high biodiversity in areas such
as the volcanically active basins of the peninsula, the
abyssal plain and even in the extreme deep waters of the
trench. This demonstrates that the deep seas around the
Antarctic continent are not a featureless abyss but a
dynamic and variable enviornment with a rich biological
community."
Samples for this project were collected during three
research expeditions aboard the German research vessel
Polarstern between 2002 and 2005.
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Scottish
Association for Marine Science
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