ABSTRACT
The ecological implications of chemical communication in the marine environment continue to elude and intrigue researchers around the world. In the high-latitude regions, our understanding of marine chemical ecology is blossoming with the aid of recent technological advancements. Research in the Antarctic provides a greater understanding of benthic community interactions and the evolution of species assemblages. This unique ecosystem houses distinct secondary metabolites and organismal interactions that have long been isolated from anthropogenic influences, yet it is experiencing rapid warming and shifts in oceanic conditions largely due to global climate change. This affects the hydrosphere and the composition of the biological community from the pelagic zone to the deep sea. It is now increasingly important to capture these relationships in a dramatically transforming climate landscape. The known chemistry from this environment alone has increased by nearly 65% in less than fifteen years. Although not all compounds have proven ecological significance, metabolomics and genomics are a promising means to assess their ecological potential. These techniques along with increased efforts in in situ studies expand our understanding far beyond what was possible a mere two decades ago. This review provides a state of the art review of unique chemistry, with emphasis on molecules that have ecological relevance, and the chemical ecology of the Antarctic benthos.
