Islands in the ice: Potential impacts of habitat transformation on Antarctic biodiversity.

ABSTRACT: Antarctic biodiversity faces an unknown future with a changing climate. Most terrestrial biota is restricted to limited patches of ice-free land in a sea of ice, where they are adapted to the continent's extreme cold and wind and exploit microhabitats of suitable conditions. As temperatures rise, ice-free areas are predicted to expand, more rapidly in some areas than others. There is high uncertainty as to how species' distributions, physiology, abundance, and survivorship will be affected as their habitats transform. Here we use current knowledge to propose hypotheses that ice-free area expansion (i) will increase habitat availability, though the quality of habitat will vary; (ii) will increase structural connectivity, although not necessarily increase opportunities for species establishm

SUBMITTER: Lee JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9542894 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature