What are the impacts of global climate change on the Antarctic biota?
Analysis of Continuous Plankton Recorder data has shown that two small species of copepods have a biomass of around 270 million tonnes, nearly 3 times the current estimate of krill biomass. Global warming is causing changes in terrestrial ecosystems, and the effects on terrestrial life are most likely to be greatest around regional boundaries like the Antarctic Polar Front Zone, where the sub-Antarctic islands are located. We are examining how sub-Antarctic organisms and ecosystems will respond to climate change. In doing so it will contribute to the conservation of these ecosystems. Simultaneous research on Heard, Kerguelen and Marion Islands in association with the French and South African Antarctic Programs focused on three main areas – plant development, shape and size, and variability and the composition of invertebrate communities. Preliminary data indicate that development times for key plant species between Kerguelen and Heard may differ by at least 5 weeks in some localities.
