Meeting Abstract

S7.4  Tuesday, Jan. 5  An overview of the Chemical Ecology of Marine Macroalgae and Benthic Invertebrates along the Antarctic Peninsula MCCLINTOCK, J.B.*; AMSLER, C.D.; BAKER, B.J.; Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; Univ. of South Florida mcclinto@uab.edu

Thirteen years ago in a review that appeared in the American Zoologist, we presented the first survey of the chemical and ecological bioactivity of Antarctic shallow-water marine invertebrates. In essence, we reported that despite theoretical predictions to the contrary the incidence of chemical defenses among sessile and sluggish Antarctic marine invertebrates was widespread. Since that time we and others have significantly expanded upon the knowledge base of Antarctic marine chemical ecology, both from the perspective of examining new distinct geographic regions, including macroalgae which dominate shallow-water communities along the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as broadening the evaluation of the functional and ecological significance of secondary metabolites. Importantly, many of these studies have been framed within established theoretical constructs, particularly the Optimal Defense Theory (ODT). In the present symposium, we provide an overview of the chemical ecology of macroalgae and benthic marine invertebrates that comprise communities along the Antarctic Peninsula, a region of Antarctica that is in many respects both physically and biologically distinct from the rest of the continent.