Until recently, the common perception among scientists was that because Antarctica is a continent covered by a huge ice cap, with extremely harsh conditions and surrounded by a cold ocean - it does not have as much biological diversity as other continents of the same size. Part of the old concept was based on monitoring a limited number of fish in the Southern Ocean. This monitoring presented a picture of a lean ocean. But in recent years, thanks to the improvement of monitoring and sampling means, this perception is changing.
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Until recently, the common perception among scientists was that because Antarctica is a continent covered by a huge ice cap, with extremely harsh conditions and surrounded by a cold ocean - it does not have as much biological diversity as other continents of the same size. Part of the old concept was based on monitoring a limited number of fish in the Southern Ocean. This monitoring presented a picture of a lean ocean. But in recent years, thanks to the improvement of monitoring and sampling means, this perception is changing.
Today it is known that there are at least 8,000 species in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica, a significant number of which were not known to science at all. Some of those species help write new chapters in the development of life on Earth. For example, species of acorn worms were discovered there, worms that live inside a transparent cylinder that they themselves secrete. The only known species in this family were discovered in 500 million year old fossils. Those humble worms managed to maintain the characteristics of the family for over half a billion years.
Learn about what is happening in justice
Compared to the sea, on land the biological diversity is more limited. In fact, there are only two species of flowers, and there are hardly any insects either. But there are actually 300 species of moss and moss, and also a surprising wealth of bacteria, viruses and archaea. Despite the intense cold, several dark subglacial liquid lakes rich in unusual microorganisms have been discovered in recent years. These ecosystems exist under conditions that are similar to those believed to exist on Jupiter's moon Europa, which has a large liquid ocean beneath a thick mantle of ice. From these systems it will be possible to learn about what may be happening on Europa's moon and the origin of life in the solar system.
15 distinctive and different ecosystems can be distinguished on the Antarctic continent, and many more in the surrounding ocean. Despite their remoteness from human activity, these ecosystems are currently facing dangers. The obvious and immediate danger is overfishing in the Southern Ocean. The increase in tourism and research trips also put the ecosystems in danger from invasive species. Alongside these two, the really big danger is climate change, which is progressing faster than expected in Antarctica. Only a few months ago it became clear that the melting rate of the continent's glaciers is higher than we thought. Besides the destruction of the unique habitats, the melting of the glaciers brings closer the day when different countries and companies will claim to start mining minerals on the continent, as in the melting North Pole the phenomenon is increasing. Such a reality will change the virgin continent completely. To enable minimal protection, the scientists call for ensuring that ten percent of the ocean surrounding the continent is declared a nature reserve, as well as 17 percent of the land itself which is free of ice.
One response
I don't know where the assumption comes from as if there is no biological diversity in the Southern Ice Ocean. After all, it is known that plankton prefers to live and thrive in cold water, and where there is plankton, there are also those who will eat it.