Antarctica
; article
; biodiversity
; biogeographic region
; climate change
; controlled study
; genetic variability
; geothermal region
; glacial period
; glaciation
; nonhuman
; priority journal
; sea level
; spatial analysis
; species richness
; survival
; terrestrial species
; dispersal
; GIS
; Last Glacial Maximum
; polar region
; volcano
; Antarctic Regions
; Biodiversity
; Biological Evolution
; Climate
; Geothermal Energy
; History, Ancient
; Ice Cover
; Models, Biological
; Species Specificity
英文摘要:
Climate change has played a critical role in the evolution and structure of Earth's biodiversity. Geothermal activity, which can maintain ice-free terrain in glaciated regions, provides a tantalizing solution to the question of how diverse life can survive glaciations. No comprehensive assessment of this "geothermal glacial refugia" hypothesis has yet been undertaken, but Antarctica provides a unique setting for doing so. The continent has experienced repeated glaciations that most models indicate blanketed the continent in ice, yet many Antarctic species appear to have evolved in almost total isolation for millions of years, and hence must have persisted in situ throughout. How could terrestrial species have survived extreme glaciation events on the continent? Under a hypothesis of geothermal glacial refugia and subsequent recolonization of nongeothermal regions, we would expect to find greater contemporary diversity close to geothermal sites than in nongeothermal regions, and significant nestedness by distance of this diversity. We used spatial modeling approaches and the most comprehensive, validated terrestrial biodiversity dataset yet created for Antarctica to assess spatial patterns of diversity on the continent. Models clearly support our hypothesis, indicating that geothermally active regions have played a key role in structuring biodiversity patterns in Antarctica. These results provide critical insights into the evolutionary importance of geothermal refugia and the history of Antarctic species.
Fraser, C.I., Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia; Terauds, A., Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia, Terrestrial and Nearshore Ecosystems, Australian Antarctic Division, Department of the Environment, Kingston, TAS 7050, Australia; Smellie, J., Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom; Convey, P., British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge CB3 0ET, United Kingdom, Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand; Chown, S.L., School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
Recommended Citation:
Fraser C.I.,Terauds A.,Smellie J.,et al. Geothermal activity helps life survive glacial cycles[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,2014-01-01,111(15)