An international study shows that ignorance about the biodiversity of Antarctica could be an obstacle to conservation policies. The work, published Thursday in the magazine Scienceanalyze our degree of knowledge about Antarctic biodiversity, characterizing both advances in research and lagoons still existing, thus identifying the great unknowns to solve on their ecology and evolution.
The results show that, although it is quite known about the biology of marine vertebrates that reproduce on the coast such as penguins and seals, there is still a great ignorance about much of the diversity and functioning of the terrestrial ecosystems of the icy continent.
Researchers highlight the need to invest more in taxonomic studies on cryptic groups, populations monitoring, regional samples in less explored areas, and the characterization of functional features and physiological responses. According to the study, led by the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC) and the Global Research Institute of the Rey Juan Carlos University (IICG-URJC), the standardization of methods and integration and accessibility of data.
“This study has allowed us for the first time to have a complete vision of the level of ecological knowledge for an entire contine This study. “This is, to know what we know, and what not, as a basis for identifying what we still have to know.”
“Antarctica is one of the few territories of the planet that are practically pristine, with environmental characteristics that make a unique biodiversity host,” explains the MNCN researcher Assumption of the rivers.
“Research in the icy continent began just two centuries ago and its study has revealed important discoveries about the evolution and functioning of life in such isolated places and with such extreme climatic conditions,” says the researcher.
“In addition, these are ecosystems that perform important functions, such as the climate regulation and, therefore, it is key to understand how they are being affected by the effects of global change,” says Leopoldo García Sancho Sancho researcher at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Many species to discover
This study confirms that more than 2,000 species of fauna, microbiota and terrestrial flora have already been described for an apparently inert system and surrounded by ice, but that there are many more to discover. To this is added the difficulty of accessing tens of thousands of microorganisms (such as bacteria and viruses) that are predictably under ice. As a result, what we know about the properties of these organisms is much more scarce, and very variable between different groups.
“We are at a critical point in which it is necessary to stop and analyze what we know and what remains to be discovered about this fascinating continent to direct the following research efforts.” Says Pertierra. That is why scientists from different parts of the world have gathered in this work to analyze lagoons in the knowledge of Antarctic biodiversity.
Among its authors is Andrés Barbosa, an outstanding member of the Scientific Committee for Research in Antarctica (SCAR) and who was also coordinator of Spanish research in this continent, sadly deceased two years ago already who is dedicated to this study.
This international group of researchers has compiled and analyzed the information collected in the main global databases on biodiversity; “Great repositories such as GBIF, which compiles spatial occurrence data, or Genbank, which brings together genetic information, allow us both to examine the distribution of biodiversity, and identify gaps in our knowledge about it,” says Cristina Ronquillo, co -author of the study that works in The MNCN.
Greater knowledge of vertebrates
The analysis of these massive data shows that, within the animals (almost 400 species) the prominence is largely taken by about twenty vertebrates, with a minority, but growing knowledge, in invertebrates. “It is noteworthy that this systematized knowledge is mainly aimed at describing the climatic tolerances of the species,” says Miguel Ángel Olalla Tárraga, a researcher at the IICG-URJC.
This is probably because “we have a pressing demand for information about these tolerances to understand the responses of the species to the increase in temperatures,” as Pablo Escribano comments, also of the URJC. Instead, we hardly know the structure of trophic networks in Antarctic ecosystems. “Basically our knowledge is limited to an approximate idea of who eats who,” says Pertierra.
There is also a lot of information about the functional features of most species, which makes it difficult to identify the mechanisms that allow them to adapt their physiology to extreme conditions.
In the case of the flora we have a wide understanding of its distribution, better and better thanks to satellite measurements that identify vegetation spots on high -resolution images. But again this knowledge is not covered by advances in other disciplines. “For example, we barely know anything about its evolutionary relationships, or the nature of its interactions,” says Pertierra.
IMBALIBRIO IN THE INFORMATION
Ignorance about microorganisms is even much greater. “Recent studies on functioning and nutrient flows in communities of microorganisms, as well as their movement from some areas to others gives us clues of how microscopic life develops in such an extreme climate,” adds Antonio Quesada, a researcher of The Autonomous University of Madrid.
In the work, it emphasizes that this imbalance in the knowledge of the biology of so many groups of organisms prevents understanding how ecological processes develop in Antarctica, something key to be able to guide conservation measures for global change.
“The analysis of the knowledge lagoons on biodiversity allow us to identify the main research needs in the coming years. In the case of Antarctica, it is necessary to invest in taxonomic research, monitor populations, identify model species, standardize the study methods we use and integrate the data we are obtaining. These are some of the measures we propose to solve the unknowns we have about this important and fascinating territory, ”concludes Joaquín Hortal, also a MNCN researcher.
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