SOMBASE BIOCONSTRUCTORS

Large sessile habitat-forming organisms such as sponges, corals, bryozoans and hydroids play a crucial role in the structure of Antarctic marine communities and enhance the local biodiversity. Not only are there many species of these groups found in the Antarctic (387 sponges, 141 corals, 320 bryozoans and 337 hydroids) but they also form vital habitats for countless other organisms. The habitats formed by these megafaunal organisms are increasingly being recognized as both vulnerable and important ecosystems. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) adopted a proposal to declare two areas of the Southern Ocean as Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). Both areas proposed are highly biodiverse, particularly with respect to habitat-forming hydrocorals, sponges and associated fauna.

大型固着造栖生物，诸如海绵（sponges）、珊瑚（corals）、苔藓虫（bryozoans）以及水螅虫类（hydroids），在南极海洋群落的结构构建中发挥核心作用，并显著提升了区域生物多样性。南极海域不仅分布有该类群的大量物种（其中海绵387种、珊瑚141种、苔藓虫320种、水螅虫类337种），同时还为无数其他生物提供了不可或缺的栖息生境。这类巨型生物所营造的栖息生境，正日益被学界认定为兼具脆弱性与重要性的生态系统。南极海洋生物资源养护委员会（Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources，CCAMLR）通过一项提案，拟将南大洋的两处海域划定为脆弱海洋生态系统（Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems，VMEs）。该两处候选海域均拥有极高的生物多样性，尤以造栖水珊瑚（hydrocorals）、海绵（sponges）及其伴生动物群（associated fauna）最为显著。