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Temporal shift in biomass and production of macrozoobenthos in the macroalgal belt at Hansneset, Kongsfjorden, after 15 years.
- Source :
-
Polar Biology . Nov2016, Vol. 39 Issue 11, p2065-2076. 12p. 1 Chart, 4 Graphs. - Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- In Arctic macroalgal belt ecosystems, macrozoobenthic production is thought to be an important link between primary production and higher trophic levels. Macrozoobenthic biomass and secondary production were studied along transects (2.5-15 m depth) in the macroalgal belt at Hansneset in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, from 2012 to 2013. At 2.5 m, the standing stock reached its maxima of 174.8 ± 54.4 g ash-free dry weight per 1 m, while density (4341 ind. m ± 1127 95 % CI) and production (7.0 g C m y ± 2.8 95 % CI) were highest at 5 m water depth in 2012/13. Compared to a study from 1996/98, this re-sampling indicated a drastic change in the depth distribution of macrozoobenthic biomass and secondary production at Hansneset. While both biomass and secondary production increased with water depth in 1996/98, this pattern was inversed in 2012/13 owing to a tenfold increase in biomass and secondary production in the upper most sublittoral (2.5-5 m). Variability of macrozoobenthic biomass and secondary production corresponded to differences in the physical environment and macroalgal vegetation along the depth gradient. In the last decade, the number of ice-free days per year increased probably due to Arctic warming. As a result, shallow rocky habitats (2.5-5 m) are less affected by ice scouring, thereby opening new space for colonisation by benthic fauna. However, faunal secondary production was low compared to macroalgal primary production, indicating a considerable export of most of the algal production from the shallow habitats to the adjacent areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *MARINE algae
*MARINE ecology
*AQUATIC ecology
*BIOMASS
*BENTHIC animals
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 07224060
- Volume :
- 39
- Issue :
- 11
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Polar Biology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 120071241
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1760-6