BIANZOII - Biodiversity of three representative groups of the Antarctic Zoobenthos - Coping with Change - second phase

Polar regions experience greater rates of climate change than any other region in the world. Their biota are highly adapted to the extreme environment they are living in and appear vulnerable to shifts in climate conditions. Antarctic marine species are especially more sensitive to temperature variation as their physiology is set to a narrow range of temperatures. Because of the key-role of the Southern Ocean in the global system and the growing impact of global environmental change, it is crucial to establish comprehensive baseline information on Antarctic marine biodiversity as a sound benchmark against which future change can reliably be assessed.