Abstract

Antarctica has retained a highly endemic marine flora including ones of the most stenothermal organisms described to the day. However, it is clear that the diversity pattern of macroalgae have been typically overlooked. This project aims to improve basic knowledge on Antarctic macroalgae biodiversity using “molecular assited taxonomy” and to bring new insights on the biogeographical processes that had shaped this biodiversity. Moreover we are willing to test for the existence of local and regional pattern of biodiversity of marine flora in the Chilean Antarctic province. One of the major objectives will be to test for the existence of 1) allopatric events of speciation caused by repeated glacial cycles that support the existence of the Antarctic biodiversity pump phenomenon in algae and 2) the possible existence of sympatric speciation linked to differential adaptation to subtract or depth at the local scale. This task appears as particularly urgent as these organisms seemed to be vulnerable to Antarctic actual threats: global warming, pollution, introduction of invasive species and human impact. It is our great concern that “sustainable” exploitation of seaweed resources in the Southern Ocean will begun without even the lowest knowledge of diversity, distribution and genetic diversity of these species available for the decision makers.