Genetic hotspots for conserving Southern Ocean benthic biodiversity
Sally C Y Lau1, Jan M Strugnell1, Linette S Umbrello2
1Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4814, Australia; Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4814, Australia.
Current Biology : CB
|February 19, 2026
Summary
Protecting Southern Ocean biodiversity is vital due to climate change. Genetic hotspots crucial for ecosystem resilience are largely unprotected by marine protected areas (MPAs).
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Conservation Genetics
- Ecology
Background:
- The Southern Ocean, a biodiversity hotspot with high endemism, faces significant threats from climate change and human activities.
- Benthic invertebrates, crucial to the Southern Ocean ecosystem, have adapted to polar conditions but their genetic diversity is understudied.
- Marine protected areas (MPAs) are key tools for mitigating anthropogenic stressors in vulnerable marine environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify critical genetic hotspots within the Southern Ocean to inform conservation strategies.
- To assess the current protection status of these genetic hotspots by existing and proposed MPAs.
- To highlight the urgent need for conservation action to maintain ecosystem resilience.
Main Methods:
- A multi-species genetic landscape approach was employed, analyzing 28 benthic marine invertebrate species.
- Population-level genetic data, including nucleotide diversity, haplotype diversity, genetic divergence, and connectivity, were synthesized.
- Geographic extents of genetic hotspots were mapped across 3,455,799 km² of the Southern Ocean.
Main Results:
- Significant genetic hotspots were identified across the Southern Ocean, highlighting areas of high nucleotide diversity, haplotype diversity, genetic divergence, and connectivity.
- Currently, only approximately 28% of these identified genetic hotspots are protected by established MPAs.
- Expanding MPA coverage to include proposed sites could increase protection of these hotspots to approximately 54%.
Conclusions:
- A substantial portion of Southern Ocean genetic diversity, critical for adaptive potential and ecosystem resilience, remains unprotected.
- Urgent, targeted conservation efforts informed by genetic data are necessary to prevent ecosystem failure in this rapidly changing region.
- The study provides a data-driven framework for prioritizing areas for enhanced marine protection in the Southern Ocean.
Keywords:
Southern Oceanbenthic biodiversityconservationgenetic hotspotsmacrogeneticsmarine protected areasMore Related Videos
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