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Temperature-driven biogeography of the deep-sea family Lithodidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) in the Southern Ocean

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Abstract

Species’ distributions are dynamic and are linked to the changing physical environment. Temperature is considered to be a major factor influencing biogeography, especially in ectotherms such as the family Lithodidae. Lithodids are rare amongst decapods in their ability to inhabit the higher latitudes of the Southern Ocean; however, they are usually found in locations where water temperature is above 0.5°C. This study, for the first time, provides a baseline indication of the limits of the lithodid distribution around Antarctica, which will be instrumental in any future work on range extensions in this group. The distribution of lithodids is likely to change as temperatures along the West Antarctic Peninsula continue to rise, and range extensions by durophagous predators, such as the lithodids, are regarded as a potential threat to the unique structure of Antarctic continental-shelf ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

This research is supported through a grant from the Total Foundation (Abyss2100) to Sven Thatje. We would like to thank staff at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institute, Washington (USNM), especially Rafael Lemaitre and Karen Reed; Régis Cleva at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (MNHN); Paul Clark at the Natural History Museum (NHM), London; Enrique Macpherson at the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes; Michael Türkay at the Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt; and Ana Ramos and her group at Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Vigo. This study would not have been possible without the information made available by these institutions. This work was supported by the Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning Network of Excellence MarBEF (contract no. GOCE-CT-2003-505446) of the FP6, and through a NERC PhD studentship to Sally Hall.

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  1. National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK

    Sally Hall & Sven Thatje

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  1. Sally Hall
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Correspondence to Sally Hall.

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Hall, S., Thatje, S. Temperature-driven biogeography of the deep-sea family Lithodidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) in the Southern Ocean. Polar Biol 34, 363–370 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0890-0

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