Canberra, July 26 -- A global study involving Australian scientists has uncovered dramatic shifts at the base of the Antarctic food web, with experts warning of a fundamental reorganisation of life in the region.
The 26-year investigation is the most comprehensive analysis to date of marine phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean, said a statement released yesterday by the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP) at the University of Tasmania.
The study documents a significant shift in the species of marine phytoplankton -- the microscopic single-celled algae that are the first link in the ocean food chain.
Scientists from Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the United States, analysing nearly 15,000 water samples from...