Conservation biogeography of the Antarctic

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TitleConservation biogeography of the AntarcticAbstractAim: To present a synthesis of past biogeographic analyses and a new approach based on spatially explicit biodiversity information for the Antarctic region to identify biologically distinct areas in need of representation in a protected area network. Location: Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic. Methods: We reviewed and summarized published biogeographic studies of the Antarctic. We then developed a biogeographic classification for terrestrial conservation planning in Antarctica by combining the most comprehensive source of Antarctic biodiversity data available with three spatial frameworks: (1) a 200-km grid, (2) a set of areas based on physical parameters known as the environmental domains of Antarctica and (3) expert-defined bioregions. We used these frameworks, or combinations thereof, together with multivariate techniques to identify biologically distinct areas. Results: Early studies of continental Antarctica typically described broad bioregions, with the Antarctic Peninsula usually identified as biologically distinct from continental Antarctica; later studies suggested a more complex biogeography. Increasing complexity also characterizes the sub-Antarctic and marine realms, with differences among studies often attributable to the focal taxa. Using the most comprehensive terrestrial data available and by combining the groups formed by the environmental domains and expert-defined bioregions, we were able to identify 15 biologically distinct, ice-free, Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs), encompassing the continent and close lying islands. Main conclusions: Ice-free terrestrial Antarctica comprises several distinct bioregions that are not fully represented in the current Antarctic Specially Protected Area network. Biosecurity measures between these ACBRs should also be developed to prevent biotic homogenization in the region. Copyright 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.AcknowledgementsThe Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AADC) provided spatial layers of ice-free Antarctica and the expert-defined bioregions and facilitated access to the ABD. Tore Pedersen constructed the expert-defined bioregions shapefile. This work would not have been possible without contributions by scientists and organizations to the ABD. Landcare Research New Zealand provided the raw physical data used in the environmental domains analyses and the environmental domains spatial layer. R-code used in the generalized dissimilarity modelling was obtained from Australian Museum Biomaps (http://www.biomaps.net.au/gdm/). Ben Raymond provided statistical advice. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research provided support, and this paper contributes to SCARÅ› `Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica Ìresearch programme.

Details

1st AuthorTerauds, A.AuthorTerauds, A.Chown, S.Morgan, F.Peat, H.Watts, D.Keys, H.Convey, P.Bergstrom, D.Year2012JournalDiversity and DistributionsVolume18Number7Pages726-741DOI10.1111/j.1472-4642.2012.00925.xURLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/recor.....0b94ecb10048052d08764ec2eKeywordsbiodiversitybiogeographybiomeconservation planninghomogeneityice free corridorprotected areaspatial analysissubantarctic region, Antarctica, rank3Author KeywordsAntarctic biodiversityBiogeographical zonesConservation planningIce-free AntarcticaSpatial ecologySub-Antarctic biogeography

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TypeArticleCitationTerauds, A., Chown, S., Morgan, F., Peat, H., Watts, D., Keys, H., Convey, P. and Bergstrom, D. (2012) Conservation biogeography of the Antarctic. Diversity and Distributions, 18(7): 726-741 doi:10.1111/j.1472-4642.2012.00925.x IdentifierTerauds2012Relevancerank3