Antarctic Flora and Fauna

Around 65 percent of Antarctic animals and plants could decline [blank] the end of the century if conservation efforts aren't ratcheted up. Species expected to undergo the steepest population drops are emperor penguins, Adélie penguins, chinstrap penguins and soil nematodes. In a two-part analysis, Jasmine Lee [blank] the British Antarctic Survey and her colleagues compiled scientific data to pinpoint which of the Antarctic's wildlife will be most at risk under moderate and severe warming scenarios. Then, they asked a group of 29 international experts on Antarctic biodiversity to assess the cost and effectiveness [blank] different management strategies over the next century, like reducing tourism and the spread of invasive species. Under current management strategies and moderate warming, the team found 65 per cent of land plants and animals will decline [blank] the end of the century. If warming is limited to below 2°C by 2100, the estimate drops to 31 percent. "Everyone tends to think of Antarctica as this remote and untouched wilderness that's free of these threats that [blank] facing the rest of the world," says Lee, but the results suggest otherwise.