pdf EBA Science Plan 2004

Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic: the response of life to change (EBA)
Science Plan

Proposed Scientific Research Programme, 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2013

Summary

This Scientific Research Programme (SRP) entitled Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic (EBA): the response of life to change. EBA will use a suite of modern techniques and an interdisciplinary approach to explore the evolutionary history of selected modern Antarctic biota, examine how modern biological diversity in the Antarctic influences the way present-day ecosystems function, and thereby predict how the biota may respond to future environmental change. For the first time the scientific community will integrate understanding across the major realms of Antarctic biology (marine, terrestrial, freshwater, from molecules to ecosystems) into the cohesive picture that is a prerequisite of Earth System Science. EBA will advance evolutionary and ecological science using model systems and organisms from the Antarctic, facilitating interdisciplinary investigations of systems responses to change.