Sydney, 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 Friday 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 1997 to 20...