Antarctica
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Trace element (TE) concentrations of juvenile Short-tailed Shearwaters collected on Great Dog Island, Tasmanian in 2017.
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This record presents genetic data underlying the paper 'From the Surface Ocean to the Seafloor: Linking Modern and Paleo-genetics at the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica (IN2017_V01)' by Armbrecht et al. In this study, we provide the first taxonomic overview of the modern and ancient marine bacterial and eukaryotic communities of the Totten Glacier region, East Antarctica, using a combination of 16S and 18S rRNA amplicon sequencing (modern DNA) and shotgun metagenomic (sedimentary ancient DNA, sedaDNA) analyses, respectively. We explore environmental and geochemical variables that drive these biodiversity patterns. Our data show considerable differences between eukaryote and bacterial signals detected via DNA analyses in the water column vs. the sediments. Organisms that are well represented in deeper waters appear are to have a higher likelihood of becoming preserved in the sediments. The study provides the first assessment of DNA transfer from ocean waters to sediments, while also providing a broad overview of the biological communities occurring in the climatically important Totten Glacier region. (Please note that this record is mirrored in the UTAS Research Data Portal, here: https://rdp.utas.edu.au/metadata/8628529b-49cf-42d4-9459-3c1e97f70d98)
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Globally, terrestrially-breeding marine predators have experienced shifts in species distribution, prey availability, breeding phenology, and population dynamics due to climate change. These central-place foragers are restricted within proximity of their breeding colonies during the breeding season, making them highly susceptible to any changes in both marine and terrestrial environments. While ecologists have developed risk assessments to assess likely climate risk in various contexts, these often overlook critical breeding biology data. To address this knowledge gap, we developed a trait-based risk assessment framework, focusing on the breeding season and applying it to marine predators breeding in parts of Australian territory and Antarctica. Our objectives were to quantify climate change risk, identify specific threats, and establish an adaptable framework. The assessment considered 25 criteria related to three risk components: vulnerability, exposure, and hazard, while accounting for uncertainty. We employed a scoring system that integrated a systematic literature review and expert elicitation for the hazard criteria. Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify key factors contributing to overall risk. Our results identified shy albatross (Thalassarche cauta), southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome), Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus), and Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) with high climate urgency. Species breeding in lower latitudes as well as certain eared seal, albatross, and penguin species were particularly at risk. Hazard and exposure explained the most variation in relative risk, outweighing vulnerability. Key climate hazards affecting most species include extreme weather events, changes in habitat suitability, and prey availability. We emphasise the need for further research, focusing on at-risk species, and filling knowledge gaps (less-studied hazard criteria, and/or species) to provide a more accurate and robust climate change risk assessment. Our findings offer valuable insights for conservation efforts, given monitoring and implementing climate adaptation strategies for land-dependent marine predators is more feasible during their breeding season.