Collaborative Research: Climate Change and Predatory Invasion of the Antarctic Marine Environment

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AbstractThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Global climate change is altering polar marine ecosystems through rising temperatures and ocean acidification. Marine communities in Antarctica face an additional threat: climatically driven biological invasions from temperate and subpolar latitudes. Durophagous (skeleton-breaking) crabs from warmer environments are on the verge of invading shallow-benthic habitats, and could significantly impact the endemic shelf fauna and its unique trophic structure. This study will assess the status of crab populations in western Antarctica and their potential to disrupt benthic communities. The Swedish Icebreaker RVIB Oden provides the ideal opportunity to sample areas of the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas, as her ice-capability exceeds that of U.S. research icebreakers. The extent and consequences of the ongoing invasion will be assessed by: (1) sampling the water column for larvae; and (2) surveying the benthos for juveniles and adults, and for localized changes in community structure. An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) will be used to image the bottom fauna, providing density estimates of crabs on the slope and, perhaps, on the shelf, and will provide a rare glimpse of the fauna underneath the ice shelves of the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas. Use of AUVs under ice shelves is highly exploratory and high risk, but the results are potentially transformative. The study will promote collaboration between scientific teams from the U.S., Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The project also will provide undergraduate and graduate training, include a research component for minority students, promote the advancement of women in scientific careers, and generate curricular materials for K-12 education. Finally the project will generate data on marine invasions, which are urgently needed for long-term tracking of ecological change in Antarctica.