A weedy little moss organism is growing in Antarctica and dominating all other life in the cold, but swiftly warming habitat.
The moss, Fenestrulina rugula, seems innocuous, but is thriving wildly despite being quite low on the food chain. Even in the face of rapid climate change, the species is dominating over other species in the area.
Earlier research on the mossy species shows that the rising temperatures in Antarctica do negatively affect the species. Due to the resilience and rapid reproduction of the moss, it is still overtaking others. While this may seem beneficial, scientists actually believe it to be harmful to biodiversity.
Dr. David Barnes, lead author of a recent study published in Current Biology, says the moss' dominance "probably means that the whole assemblage, which of course provides food for lots of other things," has become very unstable.
As per Barnes, the shift in species balance is one of many consequences of traveling icebergs. His research found that the melting ice from rising sea temperatures allows for higher iceberg mobility. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) reports an increase in damage from icebergs.
While icebergs travel frequently during the warmer temperature of the summer, climate change is seeing an increasing amount of iceberg traffic through the entire year, thoroughly shifting the workings of the ecosystem.
"If [icebergs] are blown inshore they collide with the seabed," says Barnes. "Those collisions are absolutely massive, they splinter rock, they completely reshape the sea bed."
As a result of the iceberg's destructive paths, many species are suffering...except for the scrappy Fenestrulina rugula. The rise of this particular species may harm the biodiversity in the region. Which species may be in danger, and how, is still unknown. Barnes' team is conducting further research to try to understand the implications.
Barnes' studies found that the presence of other species became so rare that 96% of ecological interactions in the area only involved F. rugula. The loss in seabed species complexity is one of many indicators of the dangers of climate change.
"Disturbance by icebergs can promote biodiversity across large areas by creating new space," says Barnes in a press release from the BAS, "but it can have catastrophic effects on biodiversity locally - it is becoming too frequent in the shallows for life to recover."
