Seven passive acoustic surveys for marine mammal sounds were conducted by deploying sonobuoys along ship tracks during Antarctic voyages spanning years 2006-2021. These surveys included nearly 330° of longitude throughout Antarctic (south of 60°S) and sub-Antarctic (between 50-60°S) latitudes. Here, we summarise the presence of calls from critically endangered Antarctic blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia) detected on all seven of these surveys. We describe and compare the spatial distribution of detections of three different types of Antarctic blue whale calls: unit-A, Z-calls, and D-calls. Three sets of voyages partially overlapped spatially but in different years, providing three regions (Indian Sector, Dumont d’Urville Sea, Ross Sea) to investigate differences over time for these three different call types. The proportion of sonobuoys with calls present was significantly higher in the more recent years for seven of the 15 combinations of years, regions, and call type. The proportion of sonobuoys with calls present was significantly lower only for one of the 15 combinations (unit A in the Ross Sea between 2015 vs 2017), and not significantly different for the remaining seven pairwise comparisons. We discuss possible explanations for these observations including: differences in probability of detection, whale behaviour, whale distribution, and abundance. These explanations are not mutually exclusive and cannot yet be resolved without application of complex analytical methods and collection of additional data. Lastly, we discuss future work that could help clarify the contributions of each of these potential drivers of acoustic detection. We propose continued acoustic data collection, application of new analytical methods, and collection of other synergistic data from Antarctic blue whales on their feeding grounds as a basis for future work on this species. This could provide a cost effective and holistic means of monitoring their status after the effects of 20th century industrial whaling, as well as their responses to natural and anthropogenic changes to their main prey, Antarctic krill, and a changing climate.

Southern hemisphere humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae, SHHW) breeding populations follow a high-fidelity Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) diet while feeding in distinct sectors of the Southern Ocean. Their capital breeding life history requires predictable ecosystem productivity to fuel migration and migration-related behaviours. It is therefore postulated that populations feeding in areas subject to the strongest climate change impacts are more likely to show the first signs of a departure from a high-fidelity krill diet. We tested this hypothesis by investigating blubber fatty acid profiles and skin stable isotopes obtained from five SHHW populations in 2019, and comparing them to Antarctic krill stable isotopes sampled in three SHHW feeding areas in the Southern Ocean in 2019. Fatty acid profiles and δ13C and δ15N varied significantly among all five populations, however, calculated trophic positions did not (2.7 to 3.1). Similarly, fatty acid ratios, 16:1ω7c/16:0 and 20:5ω3/22:6ω3 were above 1, showing that whales from all five populations are secondary heterotrophs following an omnivorous diet with a diatom-origin. Thus, evidence for a potential departure from a high-fidelity Antarctic krill diet was not seen in any population. δ13C of all populations were similar to δ13C of krill sampled in productive upwelling areas or the marginal sea-ice zone. Consistency in trophic position and diet origin but significant fatty acid and stable isotope differences demonstrate that the observed variability arises at lower trophic levels. Our results indicate that, at present, there is no evidence of a divergence from a high-fidelity krill diet. Nevertheless, the characteristic isotopic signal of whales feeding in productive upwelling areas, or in the marginal sea-ice zone, implies that future cryosphere reductions could impact their feeding ecology.

During three surveys in the austral summers of 2013, 2015, 2019, data on Antarctic blue whale blow rates, dive times, swim speeds, and broadscale movements were collected using video photogrammetric tracking and intra-voyage photo-identification. A total of 24.4 hours of video observations were suitable for blow interval or movement analysis. Similar to other blue whale populations, Antarctic blue whale dive behaviour comprised a sequence of short dives followed by a long dive with a mean dive time for short dives of 17.6 s, and a mean long dive time of 189.3 s. Two separate methods were used to estimate the average blow rate for Antarctic blue whales, giving estimates of 59.7 and 63.2 blows per hour. The overall mean swim speed over the course of all suitable video track segments was 1.59 ms -1 , but there were significant differences between years in the mean of the overall movement rate for each track; average movement rates were lower in 2015 compared to 2013 and 2019 (0.90 ms -1 , 1.84 and 1.55 ms -1 respectively), with higher rates of turning in 2015. In 2019, there was faster overall movement through the study area in a consistent direction. The total number of photo-identified blue whales re-sighted intra-season in 2013 was nine (out of 50 identified individuals); in 2015 it was seven (out of 46); in 2019 two (out of 25). Whales remained for several days with little overall movement within the 2015 study area, whereas they were moving through the study area in 2019, which would explain the low number of intra-season resights. The predominant heading in 2019 was towards the area of Antarctic blue whale concentrations at the entrance to the Ross Sea observed in previous years. The photo-identification data also show a high proportion of resighted whales with coherent movements. This suggests that Antarctic blue whales might travel together, at least over periods of several days or sometimes up to a month. The differences between behaviours in 2015 and 2019 in particular may be related to differences in the characteristics of krill swarms between the study areas.

Satellite tags were deployed on two Antarctic blue whales (Balaenopteramusculusintermedia) in the east Antarctic sector of the Southern Ocean as part of the International Whaling Commission's Southern Ocean Research Partnership initiative. The satellite tracks generated are the first and currently, the only, satellite telemetry data that exist for this critically endangered species. These data provide valuable insights into the movements of Antarctic blue whales on their Antarctic feeding ground. The data were collected between February and April 2013 and span a 110° longitudinal range.This dataset is the first and only detailed movement data that exist for this critically endangered species. As such, this dataset provides the first measures of movement rates (distances travelled, speeds) and movement behaviour (distinguishing transit behaviour from area restricted search behaviour) within the Southern Ocean. These movement-based measures are critical to the ongoing management of Antarctic blue whales as they recover from commercial whaling as they provide insight into foraging behaviour, habitat use, population structure and overlap with anthropogenic threats.

Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis, AMW) are an abundant, ice-dependent species susceptible to rapid climatic changes occurring in parts of the Antarctic. Here, we used remote biopsy samples and estimates of length derived from unoccupied aircraft system (UAS) to characterize for the first time the sex ratio, maturity, and pregnancy rates of AMWs around the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). DNA profiling of 82 biopsy samples (2013–2020) identified 29 individual males and 40 individual females. Blubber progesterone levels indicated 59% of all sampled females were pregnant, irrespective of maturity. When corrected for sexual maturity, the median pregnancy rate was 92.3%, indicating that most mature females become pregnant each year. We measured 68 individuals by UAS (mean = 8.04 m) and estimated that 66.5% of females were mature. This study provides the first data on the demography of AMWs along the WAP and represents the first use of non-lethal approaches to studying this species. Furthermore, these results provide baselines against which future changes in population status can be assessed in this rapidly changing marine ecosystem.

Extreme habitats often harbor specific communities that differ substantially from non-extreme habitats. In many cases, these communities are characterized by archaea, bacteria and protists, whereas the number of species of metazoa and higher plants is relatively low. In extremely acidic habitats, mostly prokaryotes and protists thrive, and only very few metazoa thrive, for example, rotifers. Since many studies have investigated the physiology and ecology of individual species, there is still a gap in research on direct, trophic interactions among extremophiles. To fill this gap, we experimentally studied the trophic interactions between a predatory protist (Actinophrys sol, Heliozoa) and its prey, the rotifers Elosa woralli and Cephalodella sp., the ciliate Urosomoida sp. and the mixotrophic protist Chlamydomonas acidophila (a green phytoflagellate, Chlorophyta). We found substantial predation pressure on all animal prey. High densities of Chlamydomonas acidophila reduced the predation impact on the rotifers by interfering with the feeding behaviour of A. sol. These trophic relations represent a natural case of intraguild predation, with Chlamydomonas acidophila being the common prey and the rotifers/ciliate and A. sol being the intraguild prey and predator, respectively. We further studied this intraguild predation along a resource gradient using Cephalodella sp. as the intraguild prey. The interactions among the three species led to an increase in relative rotifer abundance with increasing resource (Chlamydomonas) densities. By applying a series of laboratory experiments, we revealed the complexity of trophic interactions within a natural extremophilic community.

The availability of iron (Fe) to marine microbial communities is enhanced through complexation by ligands. In Fe limited environments, measuring the distribution and identifying the likely sources of ligands is therefore central to understanding the drivers of marine productivity. Antarctic coastal marine environments support highly productive ecosystems and are influenced by numerous sources of ligands, the magnitude of which varies both spatially and seasonally. Using competitive ligand exchange adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE-AdCSV) with 2-(2-thiazolylazo)- p -cresol (TAC) as a competing artificial ligand, this study investigates Fe-binding ligands (FeL) across the continental shelf break in the Mertz Glacier Region, East Antarctica (64 - 67°S; 138 - 154°E) during austral summer of 2019. The average FeL concentration was 0.86 ± 0.5 nM Eq Fe, with strong conditional stability constants (Log K FeL ) averaging 23.1 ± 1.0. The strongest binding ligands were observed in modified circumpolar deep water (CDW), thought to be linked to bacterial Fe remineralisation and potential siderophore release. High proportions of excess unbound ligands (L’) were observed in surface waters, as a result of phytoplankton Fe uptake in the mixed layer and euphotic zone. However, FeL and L’ concentrations were greater at depth, suggesting ligands were supplied with dissolved Fe from upwelled CDW and particle remineralisation in benthic nepheloid layers over the shelf. Recent sea-ice melt appeared to support bacterial production in areas where Fe and ligands were exhausted. This study is included within our newly compiled Southern Ocean Ligand (SOLt) Collection, a database of publicly available Fe-binding ligand surveys performed south of 50°S. A review of the SOLt Collection brings attention to the paucity of ligand data collected along the East Antarctic coast and the difficulties in pinpointing sources of Fe and ligands in coastal environments. Elucidating poorly understood ligand sources is essential to predicting future Fe availability for microbial populations under rapid environmental change.

Despite widespread iron (Fe) limitation in the Southern Ocean, intense phytoplankton blooms are observed around productive coastal regions such as the Mertz Polynya (off George V Land and Adelie Land, East Antarctica; 140–155°E). Sources of Fe across coastal East Antarctica vary, with limited data available for late summer months. We investigated the sources of dissolved Fe (dFe; <0.2 μm) at 19 oceanographic stations in the Mertz Glacier Region (64–67°S; 138–154°E), between January and March of 2019. Concentrations of dFe ranged from below detection limit (0.03 nM) at the surface, to 0.34 nM above the base of the mixed layer (35 m), reaching 0.59 nM at depth (520 m). Using oceanographic features and trace element ratios (manganese and titanium), we identified Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) and shelf sediment resuspension in modified CDW as contributors of dFe to the region over this period. Microbial Fe remineralization was evident where nutrient‐rich water met highly oxygenated waters over the continental shelf. Reduced Fe concentrations in the mixed layer and euphotic zones suggested rapid biological uptake prior to sampling. Despite proposals for pelagic Fe recycling by marine animals, preliminary investigations reveal no significant spatial relationship between animal presence and surface ocean Fe concentrations over the study area. Further research is required to identify seasonal changes to Fe supply in coastal areas which will strengthen our understanding of the Fe cycle and its influence on microbial and primary productivity in this globally significant region.

The source levels, SL, of Antarctic blue and fin whale calls were estimated using acoustic recordings collected from directional sonobuoys deployed during an Antarctic voyage in 2019. Antarctic blue whale call types included stereotyped song and downswept frequency-modulated calls, often, respectively, referred to as Z-calls (comprising song units-A, B, and C) and D-calls. Fin whale calls included 20 Hz pulses and 40 Hz downswept calls. Source levels were obtained by measuring received levels (RL) and modelling transmission losses (TL) for each detection. Estimates of SL were sensitive to the parameters used in TL models, particularly the seafloor geoacoustic properties and depth of the calling whale. For our best estimate of TL and whale-depth, mean SL in dB re 1 μPa ± 1 standard deviation ranged between 188–191 ± 6–8 dB for blue whale call types and 189–192 ± 6 dB for fin whale call types. These estimates of SL are the first from the Southern Hemisphere for D-calls and 40 Hz downsweeps, and the largest sample size to-date for Antarctic blue whale song. Knowledge of source levels is essential for estimating the detection range and communication space of these calls and will enable more accurate comparisons of detections of these sounds from sonobuoy surveys and across international long-term monitoring networks.

A pink to red-pigmented cryptophyte of undetermined taxonomic affinity was isolated and cloned from two seasonally ice-covered. meromictic, saline Antarctic aquatic environments: Bayly Bay (BB) and Ace Lake (AL). The clones shared a number of morphological and ultrastructural similarities with other cryptomonad genera, which confounded identification by light and electron microscopy. Cellular pigments extracted from the AL clone showed an absorption maximum corresponding to the biliprotein Cr-phycoerythrin 545, thus narrowing its potential taxonomic affinities. Partial 18S SSU ribosomal gene sequences were isolated from both the AL and the BB cryptomonads' nuclear rDNA, whereas PCR-amplified and their molecular phylogenies inferred from the subject sequences. Our results, and the results of another study that used our prepublished sequence data, invariably resolved both clones as very close matches with the Antarctic cryptophyte, Geminigera cryophila. When combined, the morphological, chemical, and molecular evidence suggested that both of our cryptophyte clones were a cryptomorph of the G. cryophila campylomorph. Slight differences between the AL and BB nuclear tree reconstructions suggested divergent microevolution following long-term isolation of the AL population from the surrounding marine ecosystem. This study provides further compelling evidence that certain Cryptophyceae engage in a life-history strategy, which includes alternating morphologically distinct cell-types (dimorphism); cell-types which without molecular analyses could be mistaken as novel taxa.

Recent observations in polar marine waters have shown that a large fraction of primary production may be lost to respiration by planktonic bacteria due to very low bacterial growth efficiencies in cold waters. Here we report that sea temperature may be a key factor (but not the only one) influencing the interaction between bacteria and primary production in North Atlantic and Arctic waters, suggesting that low primary production rates could not sustain bacterial carbon demand in the coldest Arctic waters. The use of freshly produced phytoplankton exudate by bacteria in early- and mid-summer was assessed, together with the bacterial uptake of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN = nitrate and ammonium), in surface waters along a latitudinal gradient from the North Sea to the Arctic sea ice. Bacterial production was independent of the low primary production measured in the coldest waters. Under these conditions, heterotrophic bacteria can consume a large fraction of DIN and N-rich organic matter, making them strong contributors to N fluxes in these waters.

A range of grabs and corers have been used for sampling deep-sea sediments. Grabs are comparatively cheap and simple compared to corers. With the advent of video-guided sampling, more sophisticated grab systems are being developed. Grabs, with their scooping action, return rather disturbed samples that should be regarded as semi-quantitative in nature. Corers collect higher quality samples more suited to quantitative projects. Box-corers and multiple corers are most commonly used by deep-sea ecologists, and are employed for the collection of macro-, meio- and micro-benthos, as well as a wide range of environmental samples. Here we review the range of sediment samplers used in deep-sea studies, providing some general recommendations and guidelines for their operation. Methods for processing samples taken by box-corers and multiple corers are also detailed.

For growth, the mixotrophic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum sequesters organelles from ingested prey. Feeding in the field is poorly known; however, isolates of an Antarctic M. rubrum strain are maintained in culture on a diet of Teleaulex/Plagioselmis/Geminigera-like cryptophytes, suggesting that cryptophyte presence may be an important factor controlling M. rubrum distribution and abundance in nature. We augmented field surveys with published findings to establish the distribution of both M. rubrum and a Geminigera-like cryptophyte in a range of East Antarctic aquatic environments. We also studied their overwinter abundances in Ace Lake to determine whether a predator–prey relationship existed between the two species in this natural enclosed ecosystem. The ciliate and the cryptophyte co-occurred in the majority of sites sampled which ranged widely in salinity (2.2–150 ‰) and temperature (−3.0–16 °C). We observed a cyclic relationship in species abundances in Ace Lake, implying population growth for M. rubrum responded to changed cryptophyte abundance. Mesodinium rubrum likely exerts top-down pressure on cryptophyte abundances in natural enclosed ecosystems especially under low-light winter conditions. The ciliate can be considered an apex predator in highly truncated food webs.

Ace Lake (Vestfold Hills, Antarctica) has been investigated since the 1970s. Its close proximity to Davis Station has allowed year-long, as well as summer only, investigations. Ace Lake is a saline meromictic (permanently stratified) lake with strong physical and chemical gradients. The lake is one of the most studied lakes in continental Antarctica. Here, we review the current knowledge of the history, the physical and chemical environment, community structure and functional dynamics of the mixolimnion, littoral benthic algal mats, the lower anoxic monimolimnion and the sediment within the monimolimnion. In common with other continental meromictic Antarctic lakes, Ace Lake possesses a truncated food web dominated by prokaryote and eukaryote microorganisms in the upper aerobic mixolimnion and an anaerobic prokaryote community in the monimolimnion, where methanogenic Archaea, sulphate-reducing and sulphur-oxidizing bacteria occur. These communities are functional in winter at subzero temperatures, when mixotrophy plays an important role in survival in dominant photosynthetic eukaryotic microorganisms in the mixolimnion. The productivity of Ace Lake is comparable to other saline lakes in the Vestfold Hills, but higher than that seen in the more southerly McMurdo Dry Valley lakes. Finally, we identify gaps in the current knowledge and avenues that demand further investigation, including comparisons with analogous lakes in the north polar region.

Commercial success of algal-based biofuels depends on growth characteristics and lipid metabolism of the production species. The oleaginous microalgae, Thalassiosira pseudonana, Odontella aurita, Nannochloropsis oculata, Isochrysis galbana, Chromulina ochromonoides, and Dunaliella tertiolecta, were cultivated under a matrix of two temperatures (10 and 20 °C) and two nutrient regimes (deplete and replete). For all species, a strong negative correlation between growth rate and lipid content was observed. Multiple stressors have no additive effect on lipid accumulation. Total oil content (fatty acid methyl esters, FAMEs, pg cell−1) was increased more by nutrient limitation than by temperature stress. In response to nutrient stress, N. oculata emerged as the most robust species with an increase in lipid accumulation of up to three to four-fold compared to the accumulation under nutrient sufficient conditions. Although stress conditions led to reduced fatty acid unsaturation in most taxa due to increased triacylglycerol (TAG) production, a high proportion of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was maintained in O. aurita.

1 What are extreme environments and what lives in them? 2 Past extremes 3 Polar marine ecosystems 4 Sea ice 5 Polar terrestrial environments 6 Polar freshwaters: high altitude and latitude lakes 7 Subglacial lakes 8 Cold alpine regions 9 Glacier surface habitats 10 Polar deserts 11 Hot desert environments 12 Terrestrial hydrothermal environments 13 Deep-sea hydrothermal vents 14 High hydrostatic pressure environments 15 Deep sea 16 Caves and karst environments 17 The deep biosphere: deep subterranean and subseafloor habitats 18 Acidic environments 19 Life in alkaline environments and alkaliphiles 20 Hypersaline environments and halophiles 21 Hypoxic environments 22 High ultraviolet radiation environments 23 Life in a changing climate 24 Anthropogenic extreme environments 25 Biotechnological applications of extremophiles: promise and prospects 26 Extreme environments on Earth as analogues for life on other planets: astrobiology 27 Concluding remarks.

The Southern Ocean Research Partnership (SORP) was proposed by the Australian Government to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 2008 with the aim of developing a multi-lateral, nonlethal scientific research program that will improve the coordinated and cooperative delivery of science to the IWC. A framework and set of objectives for SORP were presented to the IWC in 2009 where they were endorsed. Several international research projects were selected to form the basis of SORP research and progress reports were presented to the IWC in 2010 and 2011. This paper reports on the continued progress of SORP and those projects since the IWC meeting in 2011.