Franz Josef Land: extreme northern outpost for Arctic fishes

The remote Franz Josef Land (FJL) Archipelago is the most northerly land in Eurasia and its fish fauna, particularly in nearshore habitats, has been poorly studied. An interdisciplinary expedition to FJL in summer 2013 used scuba, seines, and plankton nets to comprehensively study the nearshore fish...

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Main Authors: Natalia V. Chernova, Alan M. Friedlander, Alan Turchik, Enric Sala
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2014-12-01
Series:PeerJ
Subjects:
Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/692.pdf
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author Natalia V. Chernova
Alan M. Friedlander
Alan Turchik
Enric Sala
author_facet Natalia V. Chernova
Alan M. Friedlander
Alan Turchik
Enric Sala
author_sort Natalia V. Chernova
collection DOAJ
description The remote Franz Josef Land (FJL) Archipelago is the most northerly land in Eurasia and its fish fauna, particularly in nearshore habitats, has been poorly studied. An interdisciplinary expedition to FJL in summer 2013 used scuba, seines, and plankton nets to comprehensively study the nearshore fish fauna of the archipelago. We present some of the first underwater images for many of these species in their natural habitats. In addition, deep water drop cameras were deployed between 32 and 392 m to document the fish fauna and their associated habitats at deeper depths. Due to its high latitude (79°–82°N), extensive ice cover, and low water temperatures (<0 °C much of the year), the fish diversity at FJL is low compared to other areas of the Barents Sea. Sixteen species of fishes from seven families were documented on the expedition, including two species previously unknown to the region. One Greenland shark, Somniosus microcephalus (Somniosidae), ca. 2 m in length, was recorded by drop camera near Hayes Island at 211 m, and Esipov’s pout, Gymnelus esipovi (Zoarcidae), was collected at Wilton Island at 15 m in a kelp forest. Including the tape-body pout, Gymnelus taeniatus, described earlier from the sub-littoral zone of Kuhn Island, 17 fish species are now known from FJL’s nearshore waters. Species endemic to the Arctic accounted for 75% of the nearshore species observed, followed by species with wider ranges. A total of 43 species from 15 families are known from FJL with the majority of the records from offshore trawl surveys between 110 and 620 m. Resident species have mainly high Arctic distributions, while transient species visit the archipelago to feed (e.g., Greenland shark), and others are brought by currents as larvae and later migrate to spawn grounds in the south (e.g., Atlantic cod Gadus morhua, Capelin Mallotus villosus, Beaked redfish Sebastes mentella). Another species group includes warmer-water fishes that are rare waifs (e.g., Glacier lanternfish Benthosema glaciale, White barracudina Arctozenus rissoi). The rapid warming of the Arctic will likely result in significant changes to the entire ecosystem and this study therefore serves as an important baseline for the nearshore fish assemblages in this unique and fragile region.
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spelling doaj.art-7e5646baae164800b232b02fdbf5f57b2023-12-03T09:54:55ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592014-12-012e69210.7717/peerj.692692Franz Josef Land: extreme northern outpost for Arctic fishesNatalia V. Chernova0Alan M. Friedlander1Alan Turchik2Enric Sala3Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, RussiaNational Geographic Society, Washington, DC, USANational Geographic Society, Washington, DC, USANational Geographic Society, Washington, DC, USAThe remote Franz Josef Land (FJL) Archipelago is the most northerly land in Eurasia and its fish fauna, particularly in nearshore habitats, has been poorly studied. An interdisciplinary expedition to FJL in summer 2013 used scuba, seines, and plankton nets to comprehensively study the nearshore fish fauna of the archipelago. We present some of the first underwater images for many of these species in their natural habitats. In addition, deep water drop cameras were deployed between 32 and 392 m to document the fish fauna and their associated habitats at deeper depths. Due to its high latitude (79°–82°N), extensive ice cover, and low water temperatures (<0 °C much of the year), the fish diversity at FJL is low compared to other areas of the Barents Sea. Sixteen species of fishes from seven families were documented on the expedition, including two species previously unknown to the region. One Greenland shark, Somniosus microcephalus (Somniosidae), ca. 2 m in length, was recorded by drop camera near Hayes Island at 211 m, and Esipov’s pout, Gymnelus esipovi (Zoarcidae), was collected at Wilton Island at 15 m in a kelp forest. Including the tape-body pout, Gymnelus taeniatus, described earlier from the sub-littoral zone of Kuhn Island, 17 fish species are now known from FJL’s nearshore waters. Species endemic to the Arctic accounted for 75% of the nearshore species observed, followed by species with wider ranges. A total of 43 species from 15 families are known from FJL with the majority of the records from offshore trawl surveys between 110 and 620 m. Resident species have mainly high Arctic distributions, while transient species visit the archipelago to feed (e.g., Greenland shark), and others are brought by currents as larvae and later migrate to spawn grounds in the south (e.g., Atlantic cod Gadus morhua, Capelin Mallotus villosus, Beaked redfish Sebastes mentella). Another species group includes warmer-water fishes that are rare waifs (e.g., Glacier lanternfish Benthosema glaciale, White barracudina Arctozenus rissoi). The rapid warming of the Arctic will likely result in significant changes to the entire ecosystem and this study therefore serves as an important baseline for the nearshore fish assemblages in this unique and fragile region.https://peerj.com/articles/692.pdfArcticFranz Josef LandFishesClimate changeEndemismBiodiversity
spellingShingle Natalia V. Chernova
Alan M. Friedlander
Alan Turchik
Enric Sala
Franz Josef Land: extreme northern outpost for Arctic fishes
PeerJ
Arctic
Franz Josef Land
Fishes
Climate change
Endemism
Biodiversity
title Franz Josef Land: extreme northern outpost for Arctic fishes
title_full Franz Josef Land: extreme northern outpost for Arctic fishes
title_fullStr Franz Josef Land: extreme northern outpost for Arctic fishes
title_full_unstemmed Franz Josef Land: extreme northern outpost for Arctic fishes
title_short Franz Josef Land: extreme northern outpost for Arctic fishes
title_sort franz josef land extreme northern outpost for arctic fishes
topic Arctic
Franz Josef Land
Fishes
Climate change
Endemism
Biodiversity
url https://peerj.com/articles/692.pdf
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