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WILDLIFE OF ANTARCTICA
(Souce: Natural Environment Research Council BAS)
The Antarctic is an extreme environment for any organism to survive in, yet both marine and terrestrial habitats of the Antarctic, contain wildlife which has adapted (in some cases uniquely) to the extreme conditions and which effectively utilise available resources.
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Studying the wildlife of the Antarctic is important in order to understand the dynamics of the regions ecosystems, and the survival strategies and physiological adaptations of organisms in the extreme Antarctic environment. This is why the BAS Biological Sciences Division conducts various research programmes investigating Antarctic wildlife. Such research also helps to identify species response to environmental change events and subsequent effects on both the regional and the global environment.
Research into species exploited by commercial fisheries in the Southern Ocean is especially important. An understanding of the major energy pathways, the principal interactions between key components of the Southern Ocean marine ecosystem as well as the interactions with the physical environment, enables living resources to be conserved effectively.
More about: Penguins, Albatros, Other Birds, Fish and Squid, Land Animal, Terrestrial Plants, Whales and Seals, Krill ... CLICK HERE
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