A meta-analysis of genetic structure in Antarctic species to support conservation decision-making

Populations rise to the challenge of changing environments through a blend of adaptation and dispersal. Just how these processes play out depends on the structure and dynamics of populations across a species range. The signals of these processes are captured in the genetic diversity of populations. Such genetic diversity thus provides a useful means to understand past change and anticipate the outcomes of future events. Decades of work has concerned the genetic diversity of multiple individual species from around the Antarctic. Yet no study has provided a quantitative, integrated analysis of the form, extent and implications of this diversity. Antarctic conservation management is thus devoid of a tool widely used elsewhere. This study will fill that gap, using modern informatic and meta-analytical techniques. In doing so it will add fresh value to existing data and provide managers and policy makers with new tools to assist their work.