On the evolutionary rescue of Antarctic marine fauna – did the IPCC AR6 get it right? (Old ID 29003)
Role
Principal Investigator
Description
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report (IPCC-AR6) proposed Southern Ocean biodiversity to be rescued under designated refugia with assisted migration. These arbitrary refugia are defined by areas south of 70°S in West Antarctica, and Prydz Bay in East Antarctica. The decisions should instead be informed via species’ current genetic fitness across the Southern Ocean, a direct measure of extinction risk and success potential for assisted migration. By quantifying genetic fitness, this project 1) demonstrates whether IPCC-AR6’s conservation proposal accelerates species extinction, and 2) establishes genetic-informed refugia and translocation pathways that ensures animal evolutionary resilience under climate change.
Date
22 May 2023 - 22 May 2025
Project Type
GRANT
Keywords
Genetic rescue;Evolutionary biology;Refugia;Southern Ocean;Benthic;Genome simulations
Funding Body
Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future
Amount
50000
Project Team
Jan Strugnell