The Southern Ocean ecosystem is experiencing impacts of climate change at an unprecedented pace and scale. How biodiversity is spatially structured across the vast Southern Ocean at both taxonomic, systematic, and multi-omics levels, from the sub-Antarctic to the high Antarctic and the deep sea, remains a key knowledge gap. The ecology and evolution of Southern Ocean biota are also linked to paleo and present physical environment changes across local, regional, and continental scales. Addressing the knowledge gaps of spatial Southern Ocean biodiversity enhances linkage between life science with other disciplines. An improved understanding of the spatial Southern Ocean biodiversity patterns through time is urgently needed to assess the health and adaptation capacity of this unique ecosystem.
The legacy of CAML provided foundational knowledge to the scientific community that the Southern Ocean is surprisingly rich in biodiversity, with >80% species richness living on the seafloor. Advances in analytical techniques, including phylogenetics, biogeography, and bioinformatics, are powerful tools allowing us to accurately quantify species richness, diversity and structure across different habitats and spatial scales. New and emerging short and long reads sequencing technologies, for different types of omics data and resources such as DNA, RNA, single cells, reference genomes and pangenomes, will also improve our understanding of the processes and events that underpin past, modern, and future Southern Ocean biodiversity.
Beyond individuals, populations and species, spatial Southern Ocean biodiversity patterns can inform the protection of the structure, function, and resilience of Southern Ocean assemblages. Complex biological systems, including the Southern Ocean, have been identified as those most capable at providing ecosystem services. Knowledge of applied taxonomic and multi-omics data can characterise the spatial patterns of assemblages essential for ecosystem services. These services include those we are beginning to appreciate, e.g., carbon capture and sequestration in benthic animals, and those yet to be discovered. Applied spatial Southern Ocean biodiversity data will enhance our understanding of the overall Southern Ocean ecosystem resilience and conservation strategies, such as Marine Protected Area network design, under today’s changing climates.
The SOBIS Working Group aims to describe spatial biodiversity patterns across the Southern Ocean through time, by improving the understanding of individual, population, species and ecosystem processes through taxonomic, systematic, and multi-omics approaches, using legacy and modern samples. International collaborations, knowledge, data and sample sharing, and capacity building and inclusiveness are critical to the success of this Working Group. These efforts will offer the best available science for addressing SCAR horizon Scan and Action Plan and providing the latest knowledge of Southern Ocean biodiversity and its significance required by IPBES, CCAMLR, and IUCN.
To collect taxa that working group members have specific expertise in, with as much spatial breadth and density as possible, and preserved sufficiently for downstream analyses
To investigate spatial Southern Ocean biodiversity patterns across diverse habitats using taxonomic, systematics and omics-based approaches
To delineate processes that underpin Southern Ocean biodiversity patterns, from paleo, contemporary and future perspectives
To apply spatial Southern Ocean biodiversity data to characterise the assemblages essential for ecosystem services
* It is envisaged that specific collaborations across working group members will result in funding sufficient for the downstream work to be achieved within a reasonable timeframe.
To provide an equitable and inclusive platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration and relationship building across the international Southern Ocean biology community
To provide training and capacity building activities in line with the working group’s aim and scientific objectives, with special attention towards ECR career development
The primary target species/systems are Southern Ocean invertebrates, as they encompass >80% of extant Southern Ocean species diversity. Emerging study taxa have been identified based on current working group members’ expertise, including echinoderms (ophiuroids, asteroids), molluscs (cephalopods, gastropods, bivalves), bryozoans and ascidians, all commonly collected around the Southern Ocean.
With more future members joining our working group, we envision the scope of our target species/systems and study taxa will expand accordingly (including non-invertebrate taxa).
Biological samples: Modern sampling of target species will be undertaken by scientific trawling, fisheries bycatch, and box cores. Collection of legacy biological samples will be facilitated with the coordination with national museums and specimen collections around the world.
Technologies: Taxonomy, systematics and omics-based tools and analyses
Excellent curated databases are already available for the integration of taxonomic and genetic datasets with metadata storage (e.g. BOLD). All omics data, once published, can be uploaded to standardised open access repositories (e.g. Dryad and NCBI).
Our work group has links with SCAR, CCAMLR, IPBES, IUCN and WOBEC. We look forward to linking with other established groups as time progresses.
taxonomic and genetic datasets with metadata storage (e.g. BOLD datasets, NCBI).
As this working group structure matures, a potential review/meta-analysis with Working Group members may be developed outlining why understanding spatial Southern Ocean biodiversity through time is of international interest. As this working group structure matures, with sampling and sequencing opportunities provided, we expect this working group to be acknowledged in scientific outputs.
Training workshops and capacity building activities: As this working group structure matures, we will seek funding to develop and provide workshops and seminar series, especially targeting, but not limited to, ECRs. We will focus on ensuring these events to be accessible with equity and encourage international participation, for example an online workshop where appropriate. We will engage with working group members and seek feedback on what type of training is required.
Inputs to policy bodies: Our working group members have links with SCAR, CCAMLR, IPBES, IUCN and WOBEC, and therefore we anticipate the knowledge gained from this working group will be disseminated to other international working groups, policy bodies and assessment reports.
| Timeframe | Task |
|---|---|
| 2023-2027 | Expression of interest and workshops will occur during the “Preparatory phase”. |
| 2027-2030 | Projects will occur during the “Synchronous scientific observation phase”. |
| 2030-2032 | Data analysis and dissemination will occur during the “Synthesis and reporting phase”. |
As identified in the Scientific background and relevance section above, addressing the knowledge gaps of spatial Southern Ocean biodiversity enhances linkage between life science with other disciplines, including other InSync WGs, UN Ocean Decade and SCAR scientific programmes. We will also seek to engage with NGOs for sampling and engagement opportunities.
