Phytoliths in the modern vegetation of sub-Antarctic Campbell Island are compared with those in the soil beneath to assess the accuracy of vegetation reconstructions made from dispersed phytolith assemblages. The soil phytoliths alone suggest the source vegetation is a grassland association for all study sites, which reflects none of the herb, fern or shrub component of the overlying vegetation. It is concluded that at this locality dispersed phytoliths on their own are not reliable indicators of source vegetation and should be used with caution in this context for palaeoecological studies. However, they can provide useful botanical information where all other organic material is absent. With further research, based on the abundance and diversity of Poaceae phytoliths observed in this and other studies, dispersed phytoliths from the fossil record have the potential to contribute significantly to the understanding of grassland ecosystem development in the geological past.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when blubber oil fuelled house lamps, the king penguin population at Macquarie Island was reduced from two very large (perhaps hundreds of thousands of birds) colonies to about 3000 birds. One colony, located on the isthmus when the island was discovered in 1810, was extinct by 1894 and it took about 100 years for king penguins to re-establish a viable breeding population there. Here we document this recovery. The first eggs laid at Gadget Gully on the isthmus were recorded in late February 1995 but in subsequent years egg laying took place earlier between November and February (this temporal discontinuity is a consequence of king penguin breeding behaviour). The first chick was hatched in April 1995 but the first fledging was not raised until the following breeding season in October 1996. The colony increased on average 66% per annum in the five years between 1995 and 2000. King penguins appear resilient to catastrophic population reductions, and as the island's population increases, it is likely that other previously abandoned breeding sites will be reoccupied.

Gastropods are an important component of subtidal Antarctic communities including in common association with macroalgae. Nonetheless, limited data exist detailing their abundance and distribution on macroalgal species. This study documents the abundance and species composition of gastropod assemblages on the two largest, blade-forming Antarctic macroalgae, Himantothallus grandifolius and Sarcopeltis antarctica, sampled across two depths (9 and 18 m) at four sites for each species off Anvers Island, Antarctica. Gastropods were also enumerated on Desmarestia anceps, Desmarestia antarctica and Plocamium sp. but were not included in the main analyses because of small sample sizes. There were major differences between the gastropod assemblages on deep vs shallow H. grandifolius and S. antarctica with much higher numbers of individuals and also greater numbers of gastropod species at the greater depth. Differences between the gastropod assemblages on H. grandifolius and S. antarctica across sampling sites were apparent in non-parametric, multivariate analyses, although depth contributed more than site to these differences. Within common sites, assemblages on H. grandifolius were significantly different from those on S. antarctica at 18 m depth but not at 9 m depth, indicating that the host species can be but is not always more important than site in influencing the gastropod assemblages.

In November 1994 epibenthic sledge samples were taken in the Beagle Channel. This study presents the first systematic account of Tanaidacea of the Beagle Channel and an adjacent area on the Atlantic continental slope. The material of this part from the Magellan Strait comprised 2175 specimens and 27 species of eight families of Tanaidomorpha and two families of Apseudomorpha. Eleven species were sampled in the Magellan region for the first time. The genus Stenotanais (Anarthruridae) was reported for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere and, the bathymetric range of seven species was extended. The tanaidacean fauna in the Beagle Channel is highly heterogeneous with 36 tanaidacean species now known from the Magellan region. On the basis of a zoogeographic comparison of the Magellan region with sub-Antarctica and Antarctica, Sieg's (1988) hypothesis of a phylogenetically young, derived Antarctic tanaidacean fauna is examined and the zoogeographic relationship between the Magellanic Tanaidacea and the Antarctic tanaidaceans is discussed.

Large floods bringing significant sediments into the coastal oceans have not been observed in Antarctica. We report evidence of a large flood event depositing over 50 cm of sediment onto the nearshore benthic habitat at Salmon Bay, Antarctica, between 1990 and 2010. Besides direct observations of the sedimentation, the evidence involves a debris flow covering old tyre tracks from the early 1960s, as well as evidence of a considerable amount of sediment transported onto the Salmon Creek delta. We believe that the flood was sourced from the Salmon Glacier and possibly the smaller Blackwelder Glacier. Such floods will be more common in the future and it is important to better understand their ecological impacts with good monitoring programmes.

Liquid water is scarce across the landscape of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica, a 3800 km2 ice-free region, and is chiefly associated with soils that are adjacent to streams and lakes (i.e. wetted margins) during the annual thaw season. However, isolated wetted soils have been observed at locations distal from water bodies. The source of water for the isolated patches of wet soil is potentially generated by a combination of infiltration from melting snowpacks, melting of pore ice at the ice table, and melting of buried segregation ice formed during winter freezing. High resolution remote sensing data gathered several times per summer in the MDV region were used to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of wet soils. The spatial consistency with which the wet soils occurred was assessed for the 2009–10 to 2011–12 summers. The remote sensing analyses reveal that cumulative area and number of wet soil patches varies among summers. The 2010–11 summer provided the most wetted soil area (10.21 km2) and 2009–10 covered the least (5.38 km2). These data suggest that wet soils are a significant component of the MDV cold desert land system and may become more prevalent as regional climate changes.

Oceanic fronts are important foraging areas for many top predators, but they also define biogeographical boundaries to animals in the Southern Ocean and play a role in structuring seabird assemblages. Understanding the factors driving patterns in the spatial and temporal distribution of seabirds is important to infer the likely impact of a changing climate. Latitudinal transects south of Africa in two summers indicate that fronts and sea ice extent play key roles in determining seabird assemblages. We observed 37 seabird taxa and found five seabird assemblages. The Subtropical Convergence and pack ice-edge form the strongest biogeographical boundaries, whereas the Sub-Antarctic Front and Antarctic Polar Front are less well defined. As summer progresses, the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front (the Antarctic Divergence or southern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current) becomes important, when a distinct seabird assemblage forms north of the retreating sea ice following an influx of great shearwaters Puffinus gravis (O'Reilly), blue petrels Halobaena caerulea (Gmelin), Kerguelen petrels Lugensa brevirostris (Lesson) and southern fulmars Fulmarus glacialoides (Smith). Seabird assemblages show strong seasonality and are predictable between years. They are structured primarily by latitudinal gradients and secondarily by seasonal variation in sea-surface temperature and ice cover within their latitudinal habitat zones.

Fragments of large, bilamellar aspidostomatid bryozoan colonies occur in Early Miocene glaciomarine sedimentary sequences of the Cape Melville Formation, King George Island, South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica. Investigation of the morphological characters of this aspidostomatid cheilostome shows that it represents a new species, which is described herein as Aspidostoma melvillensis sp. n. A combination of the colony-growth pattern, inferred co-occurring biota and associated sedimentary structures indicates a comparatively deep-water, outer shelf palaeoenvironmental setting. This Miocene occurrence of Aspidostoma melvillensis sp.n. emphasizes a biogeographical link with adjacent Southern Hemisphere regions during the early Neogene.

A magnetic survey was carried out in the area between Lady Newnes Bay and Evans Névé (northern Victoria Land), to ascertain whether the contact between the Wilson and the Bowers terranes could be identified remotely. The survey consisted of three ground and 12 helicopter-borne profiles. The method was calibrated on the southernmost profiles, which cover a well-exposed section of the contact between the Wilson and Bowers terranes. The northern profiles were located in an area where the contact is poorly constrained by outcrops, so that it could be tested whether the junction displays a magnetic signature. The magnetic data and the 2.5-D modeling of three selected profiles indicate that no easily recognizable magnetic signature defines this contact. The main features of the area are magnetic anomalies probably controlled by the “Meander Intrusives” and the McMurdo volcanic rocks, both characterized by high susceptibility values. If an anomaly related to the contact exists, then it is probably masked by these stronger anomalies.

New mapping and dating of volcanic outcrops on the east coast of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, has demonstrated that Eocene volcanic sequences are dominant and also crop out extensively elsewhere, particularly on the eastern part of the island. The sequences can be divided into at least three formations (Hennequin, Cape Vauréal and Carruthers Cliff) together with Eocene strata at Warkocz and near Lions Rump that are currently unassigned stratigraphically. New and recently published 40Ar/39Ar ages indicate that all of the formations are Early Eocene in age, mainly Ypresian, extending to Lutetian and possibly even Priabonian time in more easterly outcrops. Compositional contrasts exist between the groups (calc-alkaline vs tholeiitic). The formations are mainly composed of lavas, and many show evidence for contemporary inundation by water. They are interbedded with sedimentary rocks deposited mainly during flooding events as debris flows, debris avalanches, hyperconcentrated flows, from traction currents and in lakes. The common presence of juvenile volcanic detritus suggests that the sediments were probably linked to explosive hydrovolcanic eruptions, some of which were possibly rooted in summit ice caps. Other evidence is also permissive, but the presence of Eocene ice on King George Island is not well established at present.

Apseudes heroae Sieg, 1986 (Family Apseudidae) and Allotanais hirsutus (Beddard, 1886) (Family Tanaidae) are common Tanaidacea of the southern Magellanic region. The aim of the investigation is to elucidate the postmarsupial development of these tanaid species that differ in their biogeography. Population structures are analysed from size frequency data and from different postembryonic stages of specimens collected in the Atlantic entrance of the Beagle Channel and from the Atlantic continental slope to the south-east. The population of Apseudes heroae shows three age groups, the one of Allotanais hirsutus probably at least three. Some large specimens indicate that the latter sub-Antarctic species might reach an age of several years. Both species are probably gonochoristic, and protandric hermaphroditism was not observed. The fecundity of Apseudes heroae and Allotanais hirsutus was analysed. No significant correlation could be found between cephalothorax width and egg number or number of larvae. For both species hypothetical life cycles are reconstructed. As sub-Antarctic temperatures are low and seasonality is strong in the Magellanic region, it is possible that these species are reasonably adapted in reproduction as shown in some polar species of Isopoda and Cumacea.

The Antarctic psychrophilic ciliate Euplotes focardii manifests a dramatic reduction in the activation of its hsp70 gene in response to a heat-shock, while oxidative and chemical stresses activate the transcription of this gene to appreciable extents. To investigate the genetic causes of this eccentric behaviour of E. focardii in the hsp70 gene transcription activation, we carried out a comparative structural analysis of this gene between E. focardii and another Antarctic Euplotes, E. nobilii, which manifests a psychrotrophic behaviour and an inducible thermal response. No substantial difference was detected in the organization of the hsp70 5' promoter region, both species bearing canonical regulatory cis-acting elements deputed to bind transcriptional trans-activating factors. Adenine-rich elements favouring mRNA degradation were instead detected in the hsp70 3' regulatory region of E. nobilii, but not in that of E. focardii. These observations lend further support to the hypothesis that the causes of the Euplotes focardii unresponsiveness to thermal stress resides in some structural, or functional modifications of transcriptional trans-activating factors.

The recently inaugurated Belgian Princess Elisabeth Station has been built in the Sør Rondane Mountains (Dronning Maud Land). The construction site is situated close to the Utsteinen Nunatak (71°57′S, 23°20′E), on a granite ridge. Prior to the survey and construction activities, the site had been subject to limited or no direct human impacts. Therefore, a biological inventory has been started for future evaluations of human impacts in the area. This study presents the cyanobacterial diversity of ten samples from the Utsteinen ridge, the Utsteinen Nunatak in the vicinity of the station's site and the more distant Ketelersbreen Dry Valley. All samples were taken before the station was built and were studied by light microscopy and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis. Two strains were also isolated. Two different phenol-based extraction methods, with and without detergent-based steps, were tested to improve the quality of molecular detection from these environmental samples. We observed high cyanobacterial diversity (ten morphotypes and 13 operational taxonomic units) in comparison to other Antarctic terrestrial locations and a widespread distribution pattern within the Sør Rondane Mountains area. This might reflect the habitat similarities and/or the easy local dispersal capabilities of microorganisms within the region. The high diversity and proportion of potential endemic (46%) operational taxonomic units, of which 23% were newly described, suggest that this area could have acted as a biological refuge during past glaciations.

In North Victoria Land (Antarctica), the Wilson Terrane is a portion of the palaeomargin of the East Antarctic Craton, deformed during the Late Cambrian–Early Ordovician Ross Orogeny. Crustal deformation, from westward subduction of the palaeo Pacific plate and terrane accretion on this palaeomargin, gave rise to the development of a transpressive fold belt and a wide magmatic arc. In the inner portion of the Wilson Terrane, (Deep Freeze Range–Eisenhower Range) a large portion of this magmatic arc is made up of intrusions and dyke systems. Intrusive rocks range from large unfoliated plutons to well foliated sheet intrusions emplaced in low and medium–high grade metamorphic rocks respectively. Field and structural data on intrusive rocks and metamorphic host rocks, coupled with parameters relative to deformation mechanism and magmatic processes (crystallization and cooling) rates, make it possible to outline an episode of diffuse synkinematic magmatism in the Wilson Terrane. The emplacement of intrusions in both the middle and upper crust was coeval and related to the development of transpressional and transtensional structures along dextral strike-slip shear zones. Furthermore the development of foliated or unfoliated fabrics is related to competition between rates of deformation and magmatic processes, which is a function of the thermal state of the host rocks.

Ophiuroids are a conspicuous and often dominant component of the Antarctic continental shelf benthos. Here we report on the ophiuroids collected from the Burdwood Bank, off the Patagonian Shelf, through the shallow water areas of the Scotia Arc, down the west Antarctic Peninsula and as far south as Pine Island Bay in the eastern Amundsen Sea. This preliminary and primarily pattern based study identifies some regional differences in assemblages and highlights the role of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current as a barrier, as well as a facilitator, to dispersal. In order to effectively compare between studies we highlight the need for accurate, expert taxonomic identification of specimens.

Despite supporting productive ecosystems in the high latitudes, the relationship between macro- and micronutrients in sea ice environments and their impact on surface productivity is poorly documented. In seawater, the macronutrient phosphate and the micronutrient cadmium follow similar distributions, which are controlled by biological processes in surface waters. We investigated cadmium and phosphate in sea ice brine, and the biological and physical processes controlling their distribution. Cadmium concentrations in sea ice brine ranged from 0.09–2.4 nmol kg-1, and correlated well with salinity. Our results show that micronutrients in sea ice are most probably sourced from the seawater from which it froze rather than external sources such as atmospheric deposition. The weak correlation between sea ice cadmium and phosphate, and the positive relationship between cadmium and biomass, suggests against biological uptake being a principal control over micronutrient distribution even in a highly productive setting. Instead, brine expulsion and dilution play a dominant role in cadmium distribution in sea ice. Nutrient dilution within brine channels during melting, and contrasting sea ice and open water phytoplankton populations, suggests that late spring sea ice is not a significant source of nutrients or biomass to seawater. We suggest that future changes in sea ice seasonality may impact nutrient distribution and Antarctic marine ecosystems.

In this study, in situ and erratic samples from George V Coast (East Antarctica) and southern Eyre Peninsula (Australia) have been used to characterize the microstructural, pressure–temperature and geochronological record of upper amphibolite and granulite facies polymetamorphism in the Mawson Continent to provide insight into the spatial distribution of reworking and the subice geology of the Mawson Continent. Monazite U-Pb data shows that in situ samples from the George V Coast record exclusively 2450–2400 Ma ages, whereas most erratic samples from glacial moraines at Cape Denison and the Red Banks Charnockite record only 1720–1690 Ma ages, consistent with known ages of the Sleaford and Kimban events, respectively. Phase equilibria forward modelling reveals considerable overlap of the thermal character of these two events. Samples with unimodal 1720–1690 Ma Kimban ages reflect either formation after the Sleaford event or complete metamorphic overprinting. Rocks recording only 2450–2400 Ma ages were unaffected by the younger Kimban event, perhaps as a result of unreactive rock compositions inherited from the Sleaford event. Our results suggest the subice geology of the Mawson Continent is a pre-Sleaford-aged terrane with a cover sequence reworked during the Kimban event.

As part of the Latitudinal Gradient Project (LGP) the coastal meroplankton community is being studied along the coast of Victoria Land, in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. In this preliminary analysis the meroplankton community from Cape Hallett (72°S) is compared to that from two previously sampled sites in the south-western Ross Sea; at Cape Roberts and in McMurdo Sound (c. 77°S). Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (MDS), a hierarchical cluster analysis and permutational MANOVA in combination show that the meroplankton composition differs significantly between the three sites. Although this preliminary analysis includes only one northern Ross Sea site, the results suggest that there are differences in meroplankton composition along the Victoria Land coast. Several larval types, including annelid trochophores, unidentified annelid larva, echinospira, barnacle nauplius, asteroid, echinoid, and ophiuroid larvae were absent or rare in the south-western Ross Sea but found abundantly at Cape Hallett. Detailed analysis of the meroplankton community at Cape Hallett and further examination of changes in the meroplankton community along the Victoria Land coast will continue in future years of the LGP.