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Abstract

Pleistocene glacial–interglacial cycles would have resulted in drastic changes in the structure of sub-Antarctic littoral ecosystems. Genetic
data indicate that the large kelps that dominate intertidal and shallow subtidal sub-Antarctic shores today (such as Macrocystis pyrifera
and Durvillaea antarctica) were extirpated from these high latitude regions by sea ice scour during glacial maxima. These macroalgae, and
their associated faunal communities, were able to return to the sub-Antarctic islands during interglacial periods by drifting at sea in the
path of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. During glacial maxima, sub-Antarctic littoral communities would have been severely reduced,
comprising mainly ice-scour hardy taxa such as small and/or seasonal macroalgae, and mobile molluscs.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Fraser, C
Keywords:	Royal Society of Tasmania, RST, Van Diemens Land, natural history, science, ecology, taxonomy, botany, zoology, geology, geography, papers & proceedings, Australia, sub-Antarctic, ice scour, postglacial recolonisation, rafting, West Wind Drift, global warming
Journal or Publication Title:	Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
ISSN:	0080-4703
DOI / ID Number:	https://doi.org/10.26749/rstpp.146.89
Copyright Information:	Copyright The Royal Society of Tasmania
Collections:	Royal Society Collection > Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
Item Statistics:	View statistics for this item

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