The circumpolar distribution of Antarctic seafloor biodiversity hotspots

The circumpolar distribution of Antarctic seafloor biodiversity hotspots | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Biological Sciences - Article The circumpolar distribution of Antarctic seafloor biodiversity hotspots Jan Jansen, Fabio Boeira-Dias, Charley Gros, Craig Johnson, Nicole Hill This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8041893/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Antarctic seafloor biodiversity is unique, more than half of its species are endemic. However, the distribution of this biodiversity is poorly understood, and missing baseline data is hindering informed management and conservation. Here we combine information extracted from seafloor images with environmental variables and use statistical models to, for the first time, predictively map the distribution of seafloor biodiversity on the entire Antarctic continental shelf. We identify hotspots of morphospecies richness and epifaunal cover, and show biodiversity hotspots are most prevalent in shallow, cold, food-rich environments with strong seafloor currents and little sedimentation. The colder half of the Antarctic continental shelf hosts 84% of seafloor biodiversity hotspots, highlighting its potential vulnerability to ocean warming. We assess spatial management and show only 14% of hotspots occur within existing marine protected areas. Identifying areas considered important for multiple components of the marine ecosystem, a key consideration in spatial management, reveals predicted seafloor biodiversity hotspots overlap 21-times more than expected at random with pelagic conservation priority areas identified from seabird and mammal tracks. Our analysis reveals new seafloor biodiversity hotspots and provides managers and stakeholders with new information critical to conserve one of the most unique marine ecosystems on Earth. Biological sciences/Ecology/Biogeography Biological sciences/Ecology/Ecological modelling Biological sciences/Ecology/Conservation biology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files JansenEtAlCircumpolarBiodiversityDistributionSI1.docx Supplementary figures Supplementary file 1: Additional model diagnostics and a detailed comparison between circumpolar and regional biodiversity hotspots, and maps for all environmental predictor variables used in this analysis JansenEtAlCircumpolarBiodiversityDistributionSI2.html Supplementary file 2: Predicted maps of the probability of occurrence for 78 benthic morphospecies Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8041893","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Biological Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":543491611,"identity":"3413a622-19b9-4b80-825c-e55df26b2831","order_by":0,"name":"Jan 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However, the distribution of this biodiversity is poorly understood, and missing baseline data is hindering informed management and conservation. Here we combine information extracted from seafloor images with environmental variables and use statistical models to, for the first time, predictively map the distribution of seafloor biodiversity on the entire Antarctic continental shelf. We identify hotspots of morphospecies richness and epifaunal cover, and show biodiversity hotspots are most prevalent in shallow, cold, food-rich environments with strong seafloor currents and little sedimentation. The colder half of the Antarctic continental shelf hosts 84% of seafloor biodiversity hotspots, highlighting its potential vulnerability to ocean warming. We assess spatial management and show only 14% of hotspots occur within existing marine protected areas. 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