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This book is the third in aseries of publications devoted to the biogeographieal and ecological research in the Southern Hemisphere, published in the "Monographiae Biologicae". After dealing with Australia (vol. VIII) and Southern Africa (Vol. XIV) it was thought essential to include Antarctiea in this series. Ever since the expedition of the "Belgiea" made the first suc cessful wintering within the antarctie circle in 1898 and brought back a very rieh harvest of scientific data, Belgium kept a vivid interest in Antarctiea and took an active part in the modern and international exploration of this vast continent. As part of their programs for the International Geophysieal Year (I. G. Y. ) twelve nations established permanent or semi-permanent bases on the Antarctie Continent or on subantarctie islands. Thus a new era of vast and free international scientific collaboration in the Antarctie was opened and it culminated in the formulation and the signing of the Antarctic Treaty (Washington 1959). It was recognized and accepted that "Antarctiea" shall be used for peaceful purposes only and "Freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctiea and coopera tion toward that end, as applied during the I. G. Y. , shall continue . . " In order to organize this collaboration e. g. by full exchange of programs and resuIts a "Special Committee on Antarctie Research" (S. C. A. R. ) was founded in 1957.
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.
Mosses are a major component of the vegetation in ice-free coastal regions of Antarctica. They play an important role in the colonisation of ice-free terrain, accumulation of organic matter, release of organic exudates, and also provide a food and habitat resource for invertebrates. They serve as model organisms for physiological experiments designed to elucidate problems of plant cold tolerance and survival mechanisms and for monitoring biological responses to climate change. This Flora provides the first comprehensive description, with keys, of all known species and varieties of moss in the Antarctic biome. It has involved microscopic examination of around 10,000 specimens from Antarctica and, for comparison, from other continents. All species are illustrated by detailed line drawings, alongside information about their reproductive status, ecology, and distribution. This is an invaluable resource for bryologists worldwide, as well as to Antarctic botanists and other terrestrial biologists.
Seaweeds (macroalgae) represent the most striking living components in the Antarctic’s near-shore ecosystems, especially across the West Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent islands. Due to their abundance, their central roles as primary producers and foundation organisms, and as sources of diverse metabolically active products, seaweed assemblages are fundamental to biogeochemical cycles in Antarctic coastal systems. In recent years, the imminence of climate change and the direct impacts of human beings, which are affecting vast regions of the Antarctic, have highlighted the importance of seaweed processes in connection with biodiversity, adaptation and interactions in the benthic network. Various research groups have been actively involved in the investigation of these topics. Many of these research efforts have a long tradition, while some “newcomers” have also recently contributed important new approaches to the study of these organisms, benefiting polar science as a whole. This book provides an overview of recent advances and insights gleaned over the past several years. Focusing on a timely topic and extremely valuable resource, it assesses the challenges and outlines future directions in the study of Antarctic seaweeds.
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.
The Antarctic provides a suite of scenarios useful for investigating the range of climate change effects on terrestrial and limnetic biota. The purpose of the book is to provide, based on the most up to date knowledge, a synthesis of the likely effects of climate change on Antarctic terrestrial and limnetic ecosystems and, thereby, to contribute to their management and conservation, based on the information.
This survey of maritime law as it applies to the Antarctic continent and surrounding seas, includes biogeography, sovereignty, offshore jurisdiction, the continental shelf, environmental protection and conservation, and the legal status of ice shelves, sea ice, icebergs and ice islands.
The present volume was conceived as a companion to 'Antarctic Oasis: Terrestrial environments and history of the Vestfold Hills' edited by J. Pickard and published in 1986 by Academic Press, Sydney. Pickard's book contains accounts of the Vestfold Hills' climate (N. A. Streten) and recent geomorphological history (D. A. Adamson & J. Pickard) which provide a valuable context for understanding their present day biology. Pickard also gives a history of human discovery and occupation of the Vest fold Hills. There is some overlap in the coverage, to the extent that both this volume and Pickard's book describe the terrestrial flora and fauna. The reader specifically interested in the terrestrial ecosystems of the Vestfold Hills should draw from both sources. Together, these works present a broad and descriptive account of the largest truly coastal antarctic oasis: a region that holds a unique variety of opportunities for future scientific investigation. There are several tasks I wish to accomplish here, apart from expressing my sincere thanks to the many people who have contributed to the completion of this volume. I wish to briefly introduce the Vestfolds and to list some of the features that, in my opinion, make them biologically varied, and unique in the context of other coastal ice-free areas. I wish to describe the phases of biological research in this region, including the directions that have been pursued since the 1984 symposium and to comment upon the future of the Vestfold Hills.
Ecologists and biogeographers have been intrigued for a long time by the striking similarity of the vegetation and flora of southern temperate zone regions separated by large oceans. These scientists have been particularly interested in the occurrence in these regions of Nothofagus--southern beeches. This book, which focuses on the distribution, history, and ecology of the genus Nothofagus, provides a key to understanding the historical plant geography and modern vegetation patterns of the southern hemisphere. The book begins with a discussion of the long-term and broad-scale patterns of origin and differentiation in the genus. Next each major Nothofagus biome is discussed, first in a chapter that considers contemporary ecological patterns and then in a chapter that focuses on the history and paleoecology of the region. Authorities in the field deal with the temperate zone of the southwest Pacific region (New Zealand and Australia); the adjacent tropical zone of the southwest Pacific (New Guinea and New Caledonia); and South America, ranging from the Mediterranean-type climate region of central Chile to the subantarctic latitudes of Tierra del Fuego.