Studying the diversity of Antarctic amphipods

There are about 850 named species of amphipods in the waters surrounding Antarctica. One of us (Cédric) empirically estimates that a similar number of undescribed Antarctic species are present in already existing collections in our Institute and in foreign museums. An unknown but presumably high number of Antarctic species has presumably never been collected. Species descriptions progress very slowly due to a lack of funding and some giant and very common Antarctic amphipod species are still undescribed. Shelving undescribed species with no funding for describing them is a dramatic issue, which concerns many other organisms and is not specific to Antarctic amphipods. See e.g.: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/11/19/%E2%80%9Cnew%E2%80%9D-species-gather-dust-on-museum-shelves-for-21-years-before-being-described/

Shelves with samples of Antarctic amphipods at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

Collections of Antarctic amphipods at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

One of our 6 freezers with collections of Antarctic amphipods suitable for DNA studies.

A large part of specimens from older collections are not suitable for molecular systematics (e.g. for reconstructing phylogenies). Indeed their DNA is damaged due to inadequate fixation (use of formaline as first fixative: the standard fixation method of the good old days) or to degradation (as a result of too long storage).

Our Antarctic amphipods will be sampled with trawls, dredges and baited traps mounted on a metal frame with buoys and connected to a ballast (old train rails) by an acoustic releaser. Colour information will be documented by photographs taken immediately after their capture. Afterwards specimens will be fixed in absolute pre-cooled ethanol at -20°C, for an optimal preservation of their DNA. Some DNA extractions will already be made on board. DNA sequencing, phylogenetic reconstructions and morphological descriptions will be done in Belgium after our return.