Polychaeta (Annelida) of the Deep Southern Ocean: Biodiversity and Zoogeography

The Southern Ocean has been subject to extensive research during the last century. However, the majority of expeditions focussed on the Antarctic shelf, which is easier accessible than the deep sea. In the beginning of the 21st century the ANDEEP projects were designed to conduct a first thorough survey on the faunal communities in the Southern Ocean deep sea. During two cruises in 2002 and 2005 the seafloor in the Atlantic sector was sampled and the fauna was analysed in great detail. The author Myriam Schüller presents a taxonomic overview of the polychaete fauna focussing on thirteen families including an identification key to the species found. Along with general community structure analyses, species diversity and distribution patterns are addressed. A correlation of these new cognitions to the former understanding of polychaetes worldwide and the particular characteristics of the Southern Ocean leads to new ideas of the origin, composition, and ecology of the Southern Ocean deep-sea fauna. The book addresses students interested in fields of marine zoology and scientists with focus on the biodiversity and ecology of polar waters and the deep sea.