title: A hierarchical classification of benthic biodiversity and assessment of protected areas in the Southern Ocean.
abstract: An international effort is underway to establish a representative system of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Southern Ocean to help provide for the long-term conservation of marine biodiversity in the region. Important to this undertaking is knowledge of the distribution of benthic assemblages. Here, our aim is to identify the areas where benthic marine assemblages are likely to differ from each other in the Southern Ocean including near-shore Antarctica. We achieve this by using a hierarchical spatial classification of ecoregions, bathomes and environmental types. Ecoregions are defined according to available data on biogeographic patterns and environmental drivers on dispersal. Bathomes are identified according to depth strata defined by species distributions. Environmental types are uniquely classified according to the geomorphic features found within the bathomes in each ecoregion. We identified 23 ecoregions and nine bathomes. From a set of 28 types of geomorphic features of the seabed, 562 unique environmental types were classified for the Southern Ocean. We applied the environmental types as surrogates of different assemblages of biodiversity to assess the representativeness of existing MPAs. We found that 12 ecoregions are not represented in MPAs and that no ecoregion has their full range of environmental types represented in MPAs. Current MPA planning processes, if implemented, will substantially increase the representation of environmental types particularly within 8 ecoregions. To meet internationally agreed conservation goals, additional MPAs will be needed. To assist with this process, we identified 107 spatially restricted environmental types, which should be considered for inclusion in future MPAs. Detailed supplementary data including a spatial dataset are provided.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Conservation Geography, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Lucinda L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Douglass
authors.affiliation: Centre for Conservation Geography, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Betty and Gordon Moore Centre for Science and Oceans, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Hedley S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Grantham
authors.affiliation: Biocentre Grindel and Zoological Museum, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.affiliation: Australian Antarctic Division, Department of the Environment, Australian Government, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia; Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Constable
authors.affiliation: WWF Australia, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nicoll
authors.affiliation: Australian Antarctic Division, Department of the Environment, Australian Government, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia; Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Raymond
authors.affiliation: Marine and Coastal Environment Group, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Post
authors.affiliation: Biocentre Grindel and Zoological Museum, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Angelika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Conservation Geography, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beaver
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D046448:Ice Cover; D008386:Marine Biology; D009792:Oceans and Seas