Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39843903›Full record

ArticleScientific data2025

A dataset of Antarctic ecosystems in ice-free lands: classification, descriptions, and maps.

Anikó B Tóth, Aleks Terauds, Steven L Chown, Kevin A Hughes, Peter Convey, Dominic A Hodgson, Don A Cowan, John Gibson, Rachel I Leihy, Nicholas J Murray and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific data, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Anikó B TóthCentre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. aniko.toth@unsw.edu.au.
Aleks TeraudsAustralian Antarctic Division, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, 203 Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
Steven L ChownSecuring Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
Kevin A HughesBritish Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2701-726X
Peter ConveyBritish Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK.
Dominic A HodgsonBritish Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK.
Don A CowanCentre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.
John GibsonAustralian Antarctic Division, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, 203 Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
Rachel I LeihySecuring Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
Nicholas J MurrayCollege of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4008-3053
Sharon A RobinsonEnvironmental Futures, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7130-9617
Justine D ShawSecuring Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, 4001, Australia.
Jonathan S StarkAustralian Antarctic Division, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, 203 Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
Mark I StevensSecuring Antarctica's Environmental Future, Earth and Biological Sciences, South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1505-1639
John van den HoffAustralian Antarctic Division, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, 203 Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
Jane WasleyAustralian Antarctic Division, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, 203 Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
David A KeithCentre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. david.keith@unsw.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7627-4150

Funding

Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (ARC) LP170101143Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (ARC) SR200100005 Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Antarctica, Earth's least understood and most remote continent, is threatened by human disturbances and climate-related changes, underscoring the imperative for biodiversity inventories to inform conservation. Antarctic ecosystems support unique species and genetic diversity, deliver essential ecosystem services and contribute to planetary stability. We present Antarctica's first comprehensive ecosystem classification and map of ice-free lands, which host most of the continent's biodiversity. We used latent variables in factor analyses to partition continental-scale abiotic variation, then biotic variation represented in spatial models, and finally recognised regional-scale variation among biogeographic units. This produced a spatially explicit hierarchical classification with nine Major Environment Units (Tier 1), 33 Habitat Complexes (Tier 2) and 269 Bioregional Ecosystem Types (Tier 3) mapped at 100 m resolution and aligned with 'level 4' of the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology. This comprehensive ecosystem inventory provides foundational data to inform protected area designation under the Antarctic Treaty's Environmental Protocol and track risks to Antarctic ecosystems. Its tiered structure and workflow accommodate data scarcity and facilitate updates, promoting robustness as knowledge builds.

Identifiers

PMID39843903
PMCPMC11754900

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.