Rare remains of predominantly deep-water sharks of the families Hexanchidae, Squalidae, Dalatiidae, Centrophoridae, and Squatinidae are described from the Eocene La Meseta Formation, Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, which has yielded the most abundant chondrichthyan assemblage from the Southern Hemisphere to date. Previously described representatives of sp., , , sp., and sp. are confirmed and dental variations are documented. Although the teeth of sp. differ from other Palaeogene squatinid species, we refrain from introducing a new species. A new dalatiid taxon, gen. et sp. nov. is described. This new material not only increases the diversity of Eocene Antarctic elasmobranchs but also allows assuming that favourable deep-water habitats were available in the Eocene Antarctic Ocean off Antarctica in the Eocene. The occurrences of deep-water inhabitants in shallow, near-coastal waters of the Antarctic Peninsula agrees well with extant distribution patterns.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2017.07.006 | DOI Listing |
Physiol Plant
January 2025
Centro de Ecología Integrativa (CEI), Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile.
Antarctica has one of the most sensitive ecosystems to the negative effects of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) on its biodiversity. This is because of the lower temperatures and the persistence of POPs that promote their accumulation or even biomagnification. However, the impact of POPs on vascular plants is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFISME Commun
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
Antarctic snow harbors diverse microorganisms, including pigmented algae and bacteria, which create colored snow patches and influence global climate and biogeochemical cycles. However, the genomic diversity and metabolic potential of colored snow remain poorly understood. We conducted a genome-resolved study of microbiomes in colored snow from 13 patches (7 green and 6 red) on the Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMar Drugs
December 2024
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare (ICB), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy.
The waters around the western Antarctic Peninsula are experiencing fast warming due to global change, being among the most affected regions on the planet. This polar area is home to a large and rich community of benthic marine invertebrates, such as sponges, tunicates, corals, and many other animals. Among the sponges, the bright yellow is commonly known for using secondary diterpenoids as a defensive mechanism against local potential predators.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Departamento de Química, Laboratorio de Química Aplicada y Sustentable (LabQAS), Universidad del Bío-Bío, Concepción, Chile.
Ice-free areas are habitats for most of Antarctica's terrestrial biodiversity. Although fungal communities are an important element of these habitats, knowledge of their assemblages and ecological functions is still limited. Herein, we investigated the diversity, composition, and ecological functionality of fungal communities inhabiting sediments from ice-free areas across pristine and anthropogenically impacted sites in the Fildes Peninsula on King George Island, Antarctica.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Microbiome
January 2025
Basecamp Research Ltd, Unit 510 Clerkenwell Workshops, 27 Clerkenwell Close, London, EC1R 0AT, UK.
Background: Despite being recognised as a global problem, our understanding of human-mediated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) spread to remote regions of the world is limited. Antarctica, often referred to as "the last great wilderness", is experiencing increasing levels of human visitation through tourism and expansion of national scientific operations. Therefore, it is critical to assess the impact that these itinerant visitors have on the natural environment.
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