Revealing the hidden biodiversity of Antarctic and the Magellanic Sub-Antarctic Ecoregion: A comprehensive study of aquatic invertebrates from the BASE Project

Abstract

Antarctica, its outlying archipelagoes and the Magellanic Subantarctic (MSA) ecoregion are amongst the last true wilderness areas remaining on the planet. Therefore, the publication, citation and peer review of their biodiversity data are essential. The new Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems (BASE), a Chilean scientific initiative funded by the National Agency of Research and Innovation, contributes 770 new records of aquatic invertebrates as a point of reference for present-day biodiversity research at these latitudes. The occurrence dataset presented here has never been released before and is the result of the systematic recording of occurrences of several taxa across the Antarctic, Subantarctic and Magellanic Subantarctic ecoregions. We collected data from marine and freshwater invertebrates across numerous samplings from 2008 to 2023. From the 770 occurrences, we identified 160 taxa, 125 at species level and 35 at the genus level. The database has been registered in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The publication of this data paper was funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO, contract n°FR/36/AN1/AntaBIS) in the Framework of EU-Lifewatch as a contribution to the SCAR Antarctic biodiversity portal (biodiversity.aq)

On the distribution and habitat use of the sub‐Antarctic fly Hyadesimyia clausa Bigot (Diptera, Tachinidae) according to citizen science

“…The sub-Antarctic Ecoregion is one of the wildest places on the planet (Mittermeier et al, 2003). The retreat of the ice since the last glacial maximum has generated a large network of islands with navigable channels and well-preserved biomes, such as beech forests, grasslands, and peatlands, which are still highly biodiverse, mainly with liverworts, mosses, and aquatic invertebrates, as well as unique environmental characteristics (Mansilla et al, 2012;Rosenfeld et al, 2023;Rozzi et al, 2008Rozzi et al, , 2012. Studies into the terrestrial invertebrate assemblages of these sub-Antarctic biomes have mainly focused on extreme ecosystems, such as peatlands and subantarctic grasslands (see examples in Contador et al, 2020;Lanfranco, 1980Lanfranco, , 1981Lanfranco, , 1983 or Nothofagus forest (Lanfranco, 1977).…”