Recent data on the natural diet of some benthic suspension feeders and of variations in the diet due to changes in availability of food in the water column and varying hydrodynamic conditions suggest that these benthic communities may play an overall reguiatory role in the ecosystem (Gili and Coma, 1998). While work in temperate ecosystems has shown that dense assemblages of suspension feeders have a high impact on plankton communities, their role in Antarctic Systems is still an Open question. Many benthic assemblages in Antarctica are rieh in abundance and taxonomically diverse, and the largest proportion of the Antarctic benthic communities is made up of sessile suspension feeders, e.g. sponges, bryozoans, ascidians, and certain echinoderrns. Average benthic biomass of these organisms in the Antarctic is higher than in temperate and subtropical communities. [...]

Gili, Josep Maria ... et al.-- 47 pages, 36 figures, 5 tables

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