Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/38438

KEYWORDS : Bryozoa;Arctic Realm;Antarctic Realm;Biodiversity;Biogeography

A comparison of Arctic Sea and Antarctic Sea bryozoan faunas (cheilostomes) was conducted by compiling comprehensive data sets from both realms [1, 2] and own additional collections from the European Sector of the Arctic Realm. The analysis documents the high endemism in Antarctic faunas also indicated by the high species/genera relationship compared to the extremely reduced endemism in the Arctic Realm. These different patterns are explained by the long-lasting geographic isolation of the Antarctic continent due to tectonic break-up of the Gondwana continent in contrast to the Arctic Ocean, which since the Neogene became a transit system to promote migration of bryozoan species between the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Cluster analysis was applied to identify the biogeographic regions within the two polar realms.