Trophic Ecology of the Antarctic Nearshore Zone

Project Objectives
1) To describe trophic relationships in near shore marine benthic ecosystems of East Antarctica and determine the importance of environmental forces (such as sea ice and primary production) to the structure of food webs and biological interactions in benthic assemblages.
2) To determine how marine benthic food webs in East Antarctica respond to local scale disturbances (such as sewage outfalls and abandoned waste disposal sites) and develop predictive models of the influence of local human activities on trophic relationships.
3) To develop predictive models for the potential effects of global climate change on the trophic structure and function of near shore marine benthic assemblages and determine the sensitivity of Antarctic near shore ecosystems as sentinels of climate change.
4) To measure toxicity of organic contaminants to Antarctic marine benthic invertebrates, determine concentrations in upper trophic level fauna and to model the risk of bioaccumulation of organic contaminants (from local and global sources) in near shore marine benthic food webs in East Antarctica.
Collections of organisms from coastal ecosystems around Casey and Davis stations were made between 2006/07 and 2010/11. These samples have been used in a variety of ways to examine trophic interactions in Antarctic coastal ecosystems. Methods include stable isotope analysis, diet and gut contents DNA analysis, analysis of POPs (persistent organic pollutants) and the impacts of local disturbances on food webs.

Tags: AMD, AMD/AU, CEOS, CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > ARTHROPODS > CHELICERATES, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > ARTHROPODS > CRUSTACEANS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > ARTHROPODS > CRUSTACEANS > AMPHI, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > ARTHROPODS > CRUSTACEANS > ISOPO, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > ARTHROPODS > CRUSTACEANS > OSTRA, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > CNIDARIANS > ANTHOZOANS/HEXACORA, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > CNIDARIANS > ANTHOZOANS/OCTOCORA, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > ECHINODERMS > BRITTLE/BASKET STA, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > ECHINODERMS > SEA STARS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > ECHINODERMS > SEA URCHINS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > FLATWORMS/FLUKES/TAPEWORMS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > MOLLUSKS > BIVALVES, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > MOLLUSKS > GASTROPODS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > PRIAPULANS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > ROUNDWORMS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > SEGMENTED WORMS (ANNELIDS) > BRI, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > SEGMENTED WORMS (ANNELIDS) > LEE, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > SPONGES, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > TUNICATES > SEA SQUIRTS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > FISH > RAY-FINNED FISHES, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS > CARNIVORES > SEALS/SEA L, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > PLANTS > MACROALGAE (SEAWEEDS) > BROWN ALGAE, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > PLANTS > MACROALGAE (SEAWEEDS) > GREEN ALGAE, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > PLANTS > MACROALGAE (SEAWEEDS) > RED ALGAE, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > PLANTS > MICROALGAE > DIATOMS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > COMMUNITY DYNAMICS > COMMUNITY STRUCTURE, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS > FOOD-WEB DYNAMICS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS > TROPHIC DYNAMICS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > GRAZING DYNAMICS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > SCAVENGING, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > SPECIES PREDATIO, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > USE/FEEDING HABI, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS > PLANKTON > PHYTOPLANKTON, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > COASTAL, EARTH SCIENCE > CRYOSPHERE > SEA ICE > ICE EXTENT, EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > MARINE SEDIMENTS, EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > STABLE ISOTOPES, EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SEA ICE > ICE EXTENT, Ecology, FIELD SURVEYS, GEOGRAPHIC REGION > EASTERN HEMISPHERE, GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR, TRENZ, TRENZ > TRophic Ecology of the Nearshore Zone, VISUAL OBSERVATIONS
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network