Deep-sea megabenthos communities of the Eurasian Central Arctic are influenced by ice-cover and sea-ice algal falls.

Quantitative camera surveys of benthic megafauna were carried out during the expedition ARK-XXVII/3 to the Eastern Central Arctic Basins with the research icebreaker Polarstern in summer 2012 (2 August-29 September). Nine transects were performed for the first time in deep-sea areas previously fully...

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Main Authors: Elena Rybakova, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Andrey Vedenin, Antje Boetius, Andrey Gebruk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2019-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211009
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author Elena Rybakova
Antonina Kremenetskaia
Andrey Vedenin
Antje Boetius
Andrey Gebruk
author_facet Elena Rybakova
Antonina Kremenetskaia
Andrey Vedenin
Antje Boetius
Andrey Gebruk
author_sort Elena Rybakova
collection DOAJ
description Quantitative camera surveys of benthic megafauna were carried out during the expedition ARK-XXVII/3 to the Eastern Central Arctic Basins with the research icebreaker Polarstern in summer 2012 (2 August-29 September). Nine transects were performed for the first time in deep-sea areas previously fully covered by ice, four of them in the Nansen Basin (3571-4066m) and five in the Amundsen Basin (4041-4384m). At seven of these stations benthic Agassiz trawls were taken near the camera tracks for species identification. Observed Arctic deep-sea megafauna was largely endemic. Several taxa showed a substantially greater depth or geographical range than previously assumed. Variations in the composition and structure of megabenthic communities were analysed and linked to several environmental variables, including state of the sea ice and phytodetritus supply to the seafloor. Three different types of communities were identified based on species dominating the biomass. Among these species were the actiniarian Bathyphellia margaritacea and the holothurians Elpidia heckeri and Kolga hyalina. Variations in megafaunal abundance were first of all related to the proximity to the marginal ice zone. Stations located closer to this zone were characterized by relatively high densities and biomass of B. margaritacea. Food supply was higher at these stations, as suggested by enhanced concentrations of pigments, organic carbon, bacterial cell abundances and nutrients in the sediments. Fully ice-covered stations closer to the North Pole and partially under multi-year ice were characterized by lower concentrations of the same biogeochemical indicators for food supply. These stations nevertheless hosted relatively high density and biomass of the holothurians E. heckeri or K. hyalina, which were observed to feed on large food falls of the sea-ice colonial diatom Melosira arctica. The link between the community structure of megafauna and the extent and condition of the Central Arctic sea-ice cover suggests that future climate changes may substantially affect deep ocean biodiversity.
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spelling doaj.art-87cc11743de24a8e92198cd1875935302022-12-21T23:11:25ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032019-01-01147e021100910.1371/journal.pone.0211009Deep-sea megabenthos communities of the Eurasian Central Arctic are influenced by ice-cover and sea-ice algal falls.Elena RybakovaAntonina KremenetskaiaAndrey VedeninAntje BoetiusAndrey GebrukQuantitative camera surveys of benthic megafauna were carried out during the expedition ARK-XXVII/3 to the Eastern Central Arctic Basins with the research icebreaker Polarstern in summer 2012 (2 August-29 September). Nine transects were performed for the first time in deep-sea areas previously fully covered by ice, four of them in the Nansen Basin (3571-4066m) and five in the Amundsen Basin (4041-4384m). At seven of these stations benthic Agassiz trawls were taken near the camera tracks for species identification. Observed Arctic deep-sea megafauna was largely endemic. Several taxa showed a substantially greater depth or geographical range than previously assumed. Variations in the composition and structure of megabenthic communities were analysed and linked to several environmental variables, including state of the sea ice and phytodetritus supply to the seafloor. Three different types of communities were identified based on species dominating the biomass. Among these species were the actiniarian Bathyphellia margaritacea and the holothurians Elpidia heckeri and Kolga hyalina. Variations in megafaunal abundance were first of all related to the proximity to the marginal ice zone. Stations located closer to this zone were characterized by relatively high densities and biomass of B. margaritacea. Food supply was higher at these stations, as suggested by enhanced concentrations of pigments, organic carbon, bacterial cell abundances and nutrients in the sediments. Fully ice-covered stations closer to the North Pole and partially under multi-year ice were characterized by lower concentrations of the same biogeochemical indicators for food supply. These stations nevertheless hosted relatively high density and biomass of the holothurians E. heckeri or K. hyalina, which were observed to feed on large food falls of the sea-ice colonial diatom Melosira arctica. The link between the community structure of megafauna and the extent and condition of the Central Arctic sea-ice cover suggests that future climate changes may substantially affect deep ocean biodiversity.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211009
spellingShingle Elena Rybakova
Antonina Kremenetskaia
Andrey Vedenin
Antje Boetius
Andrey Gebruk
Deep-sea megabenthos communities of the Eurasian Central Arctic are influenced by ice-cover and sea-ice algal falls.
PLoS ONE
title Deep-sea megabenthos communities of the Eurasian Central Arctic are influenced by ice-cover and sea-ice algal falls.
title_full Deep-sea megabenthos communities of the Eurasian Central Arctic are influenced by ice-cover and sea-ice algal falls.
title_fullStr Deep-sea megabenthos communities of the Eurasian Central Arctic are influenced by ice-cover and sea-ice algal falls.
title_full_unstemmed Deep-sea megabenthos communities of the Eurasian Central Arctic are influenced by ice-cover and sea-ice algal falls.
title_short Deep-sea megabenthos communities of the Eurasian Central Arctic are influenced by ice-cover and sea-ice algal falls.
title_sort deep sea megabenthos communities of the eurasian central arctic are influenced by ice cover and sea ice algal falls
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211009
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