Dear Colleagues, The 18th Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Open Science Conference will be held from 25-29 August 2014 in Aukland, New Zealand. The call for abstracts is now open, and I encourage submissions (http://www.scar2014.com/call-for-abstracts/). Specifically, there will be a session entitled: Influence of top predators on ecosystem diversity around Antarctica: present processes and historical signal. This session will aim to consider the Influence of top predators on ecosystem diversity around Antarctica: present processes and historical signals. Using data from a range of taxonomic groups including seabirds, penguins, seals, and whales, we seek presentations that will explore the relationships between predators and their environment over a range of spatial and temporal scales. We encourage multi-disciplinary presentations that develop or test ecological relationships between top predators and the marine ecosystem. We will seek to bring together experts with a broad range of field and analytical methodologies (e.g. telemetry, remote sensing) to provide a foundation for our current knowledge on how predators influence ecosystem diversity as well as to stimulate ideas for collaborative research to address these issues in the face of environmental variability and climate-driven changes in the Antarctic marine ecosystem. Please email me if you have any questions, I look forward to seeing you at SCAR. Ari Friedlaender asf7@duke.edu Ari S. Friedlaender, Ph.D. Research Scientist Duke University Marine Laboratory 135 Pivers Island Road Beaufort, NC 28516 p 919 672 0103 f 252 504 7648 asf7@duke.edu