Scleractinian Corals as an Indicator of Vertical Density of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

The article presents data indicating the relationship of the bathymetric distribution of solitary endemic scleractinian corals inhabiting the Antarctic continental shelf and upper continental slope with the vertical density of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The study is based on materials collected by expeditions of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (IO RAS) and the literature data. The results show that endemic species that appeared in the Late Neogene and Pleistocene were unable to propagate across other oceans due to the existing horizontal and vertical density of the Arctic Circumpolar Current during that period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]