Are Antarctic suspension-feeding communities different from those elsewhere in the world?

This paper reviews the trophic ecology of benthic suspension feeders in Ant arctic shelf communities, studied within SCAR's EASIZ Programme, in compari son with published information from other seas. Dense benthic suspension-fe eder communities capture large quantities of particles and may directly reg ulate primary, and indirectly, secondary production in littoral food chains . Most work has been performed in temperate and tropical seas; however, lit tle is known about suspension feeders in cold environments. Recent studies on Antarctic littoral benthic suspension feeders suggest the period of wint er inactivity may last only a few weeks. This contrasts with the hypothesis that in Antarctic communities there is a prolonged period of minimal activ ity lasting at least 6 months during the austral winter. Results from other oceans may explain how dense benthic communities could develop under such conditions. Alternative food sources, i.e. the "fine fraction", sediment re suspension, lateral advection and efficient food assimilation may play a si gnificant role in the development of suspension-feeder dominated, very dive rsified, high biomass and three-dimensionally structured communities on the Antarctic shelf.