The antarctic marine environment is characterized by constant, low water temperatures yet marked seasonal patterns of pack-ice movement and photoperiod. The offshore biotic system is fueled by upwelled, nutrient-rich, deep circumpolar water, which supports rich primary production during the Antarctic austral summer. Although antarctic marine biology is a relative young science, research has gone far beyond descriptions of plants and animals found in antarctic waters. More fundamental aspects of how these biota live and interact in such an extreme environment have been studied. This unique marine environment provides an opportunity to present a broadly based symposium on aspects of the biology of the rich and diverse marine life in Antarctica. This project will support a symposium on "Antarctic Marine Biology" to be held at the January, 2000 meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology. General topics to be addressed include marine microbial processes, physiology of sea ice microalgae, the energetics and reproduction of krill, seals and penguins, strategies of photothermal acclimation in macroalge, the physiology and development of marine invertebrates and the origin and evolution of fish antifreezes. The integrative and comparative nature of the presentations will have broad scientific appeal. The proceedings will be available to the general scientific community through publication in the American Zoologist.
