Collaborative Research: Limits and Drivers of Metazoan Distributions in the Transantarctic Mountains

最后一次冰盛期的冰盖模型以及之前中新世的冰川事件表明，目前南极洲的低海拔、无冰的表面完全被冰覆盖。如果是这样的话，今天的南极洲陆地生物群将是在每一次冰川盛期之后发生的重新殖民事件的结果。然而，越来越多的证据表明，南极的许多陆地生物群都起源于古代，并以某种方式在这些冰川事件中幸存下来。横贯北极山脉过渡带(-特兰茨)在了解当今南极陆地生物群的演化和生物地理历史方面发挥着关键作用，主要是因为它包含许多内陆地区，在冰川鼎盛时期可以作为避难所。由于地理位置偏远，-特兰茨没有得到系统的动物生物多样性调查。尽管对该地区的详尽调查需要多学科、多年和多区域的努力，但这里的研究结合了生态学、进化和地球物理的专业知识，对生物群落的最南端进行了探索性调查。该项目将审查多细胞生物殖民和维持功能生态系统的历史地球物理要求，以及今后进行更系统的生物地理学研究的可行性和可取性。更广泛的影响包括研究生和本科生对将提供研究、演示和出版机会的重要子项目的所有权。调查人员还将通过与项目人员居住的公立学校地区的K-12教师和管理人员的关系，为正在进行的公共教育努力做出贡献。最后，该项目受到与新西兰南极洲相关科学家的机会主义合作的影响。

Ice sheet models of the Last Glacial Maximum, and previous glaciation events in the Miocene, suggest that current low altitude, ice-free surfaces in Antarctica were completely covered with ice. If so, the terrestrial biota of Antarctica today would result from recolonization events after each glacial maximum. However, there is emerging evidence that much of the terrestrial Antarctic biota are of ancient origin and have somehow survived these glaciation events. The Transantarctic Mountains TRANsition Zone (TAM-TRANZ) plays a pivotal role in understanding the evolution and biogeographic history of today's Antarctic terrestrial biota, primarily because it contains numerous inland areas that could have served as refugia during glacial maxima. Due to its remote location, the TAM-TRANZ has not been systematically surveyed for animal biodiversity. Although an exhaustive survey of the region requires a multi-discipline, multi-year and multi-region effort, the research herein combines ecological, evolutionary and geophysical expertise to conduct an exploratory investigation of the extreme southern limits of biotic communities. The project will examine the historical geophysical requirements for the colonization and maintenance of functional ecosystems by multicellular organisms, and the feasibility and desirability to implement more systematic biogeographic studies in the future. Broader impacts include graduate and undergraduate student ownership of important subprojects that will provide research, presentation and publication opportunities. The investigators also will contribute to ongoing public education efforts through relationships with K-12 teachers and administrators in the public school districts where the project personnel reside. Finally, the project is leveraged by opportunistic collaboration with scientists associated with Antarctica New Zealand.