Project Update: Diversity of the Macquarie Island intertidal macrofauna

Grant Round: 2024

Dr Quentin Jossart (Université de Bourgogne – France), Dr Jonathon Stark & Dr Glen Johnstone (Australian Antarctic Division)

An update from Dr Jossart:

The intertidal zone is a critical and important area at the interface between marine and terrestrial habitats. However, this zone remains biologically underexplored in the Southern Ocean.

Macquarie Island, located at the crossroad between Antarctica, New Zealand and Tasmania, is one of the least explored intertidal areas. In the continuity of legacy inventories (e.g., Australian

Antarctic Expeditions (Kenny & Haysom 1962, Bennet 1971), have identified intertidal Macquarie specimens that were collected during the last decade. This investigation was done in an integrative way, using both morphology (classical taxonomy) and genetics (DNA barcoding). We found at least 30 different species belonging to annelids, cnidarians, crustaceans, echinoderms, flat worms, molluscs, ribbon worms, sponges or tunicates. This inventory will be put in a broader geographical perspective, and all the occurrences, data and metadata will be published in both a short publication and public database.

Credit: Dr Quentin Jossart