Abstract：
The seabed of the Antarctic continental shelf hosts most of Antarctica\'s known species, including taxa considered indicative of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). Nonetheless, the potential impact of climatic and environmental change, including marine icescape transition, on Antarctic shelf zoobenthos, and their blue carbon-associated function, is still poorly characterised. To help narrow knowledge gaps, four continental shelf study areas, spanning a southern polar gradient, were investigated for zoobenthic (principally epi-faunal) carbon storage (a component of blue carbon), and potential environmental influences, employing a functional group approach. Zoobenthic carbon storage was highest at the two southernmost study areas (with a mean estimate of 41.6 versus 7.2 g C m-2) and, at each study area, increased with morphotaxa richness, overall faunal density, and VME indicator density. Functional group mean carbon content varied with study area, as did each group\'s percentage contribution to carbon storage and faunal density. Of the environmental variables explored, sea-ice cover and primary production, both likely to be strongly impacted by climate change, featured in variable subsets most highly correlating with assemblage and carbon storage (by functional groups) structures. The study findings can underpin biodiversity- and climate-considerate marine spatial planning and conservation measures in the Southern Ocean.
摘要：
南极大陆架的海床拥有大多数南极洲已知的物种，包括被认为指示脆弱海洋生态系统(VME)的分类单元。尽管如此，气候和环境变化的潜在影响，包括海洋icescape过渡，在南极架子上的底栖动物，和它们的蓝色碳相关功能，特征仍然很差。为了帮助缩小知识差距，四个大陆架研究区,跨越南极梯度，进行了动物底栖（主要是表层动物）碳储存（蓝碳的一种成分）的研究，和潜在的环境影响，采用功能组方法。在最南端的两个研究区域，动物底栖碳储量最高（平均估计值为41.6与7.2gCm-2），在每个研究区域，随着morphaxa的丰富度而增加，整体动物群密度，和VME指标密度。官能团平均碳含量随研究区的变化而变化，各组对碳储量和动物群密度的贡献百分比也是如此。在探索的环境变量中，海冰覆盖和初级生产，两者都可能受到气候变化的强烈影响，以与组合和碳储存（通过官能团）结构高度相关的可变子集为特征。研究结果可以支持南大洋的生物多样性和气候考虑的海洋空间规划和保护措施。
