The unique benthic biodiversity in the Southern Ocean is under increasing pressure as changes in sea-ice cover in the Southern Ocean have a major impact on sensitive benthic organisms which rely on food input from the surface to the seafloor. Still we know little about the Antarctic endobenthic diversity (meio- and macrofauna organisms). This thesis aims to improve the understanding of the Antarctic endobenthic biodiversity by linking taxonomic and functional aspects on species and community level with environmental drivers.