Strong linkage of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: Evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses
The polar cod (Boreogadus saida) is considered an ecological key species, because it reaches high stock biomasses and constitutes an important carbon source for seabirds and marine mammals in high-Arctic ecosystems. Young polar cod (1-2 years) are often associated with the underside of sea ice. To e...
Published in: | Progress in Oceanography |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
2017
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/44946/ https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.51174 |
id |
ftawi:oai:epic.awi.de:44946 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftawi:oai:epic.awi.de:44946 2024-09-15T17:54:15+00:00 Strong linkage of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: Evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses Kohlbach, Doreen Schaafsma, Fokje Graeve, Martin Lebreton, Benoit Lange, Benjamin David, Carmen Vortkamp, Martina Flores, Hauke 2017-03 https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/44946/ https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.51174 unknown PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD Kohlbach, D. , Schaafsma, F. , Graeve, M. orcid:0000-0002-2294-1915 , Lebreton, B. , Lange, B. , David, C. , Vortkamp, M. and Flores, H. orcid:0000-0003-1617-5449 (2017) Strong linkage of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: Evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses , Progress In Oceanography, 152 , pp. 62-74 . doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2017.02.003 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2017.02.003> , hdl:10013/epic.51174 EPIC3Progress In Oceanography, PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 152, pp. 62-74, ISSN: 0079-6611 Article peerRev 2017 ftawi https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2017.02.003 2024-06-24T04:17:43Z The polar cod (Boreogadus saida) is considered an ecological key species, because it reaches high stock biomasses and constitutes an important carbon source for seabirds and marine mammals in high-Arctic ecosystems. Young polar cod (1-2 years) are often associated with the underside of sea ice. To evaluate the impact of changing Arctic sea ice habitats on polar cod, we examined the diet composition and quantified the contribution of ice algae-produced carbon (αIce) to the carbon budget of polar cod. Young polar cod were sampled in the ice-water interface layer in the central Arctic Ocean during late summer 2012. Diets and carbon sources of these fish were examined using 4 approaches: 1) stomach content analysis, 2) fatty acid (FA) analysis, 3) bulk nitrogen and carbon stable isotope analysis (BSIA) and 4) compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of FAs. The ice-associated (sympagic) amphipod Apherusa glacialis dominated the stomach contents by mass, indicating a high importance of sympagic fauna in young polar cod diets. The biomass of food measured in stomachs implied constant feeding at daily rates of ~ 1.2% body mass per fish, indicating the potential for positive growth. FA profiles of polar cod indicated that diatoms were the primary carbon source, indirectly obtained via amphipods and copepods. The αIce using bulk isotope data from muscle was estimated to be > 90%. In comparison, αIce based on CSIA ranged from 34 to 65%, with the highest estimates from muscle and the lowest from liver tissue. Overall, our results indicate a strong dependency of polar cod on ice-algae produced carbon. This suggests that young polar cod may be particularly vulnerable to changes in the distribution and structure of sea ice habitats. Due to the ecological key role of polar cod, changes at the base of the sea ice-associated food web are likely to affect the higher trophic levels of high-Arctic ecosystems. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Ocean Boreogadus saida ice algae polar cod Sea ice Copepods Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar- and Marine Research (AWI): ePIC (electronic Publication Information Center) Progress in Oceanography 152 62 74 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar- and Marine Research (AWI): ePIC (electronic Publication Information Center) |
op_collection_id |
ftawi |
language |
unknown |
description |
The polar cod (Boreogadus saida) is considered an ecological key species, because it reaches high stock biomasses and constitutes an important carbon source for seabirds and marine mammals in high-Arctic ecosystems. Young polar cod (1-2 years) are often associated with the underside of sea ice. To evaluate the impact of changing Arctic sea ice habitats on polar cod, we examined the diet composition and quantified the contribution of ice algae-produced carbon (αIce) to the carbon budget of polar cod. Young polar cod were sampled in the ice-water interface layer in the central Arctic Ocean during late summer 2012. Diets and carbon sources of these fish were examined using 4 approaches: 1) stomach content analysis, 2) fatty acid (FA) analysis, 3) bulk nitrogen and carbon stable isotope analysis (BSIA) and 4) compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of FAs. The ice-associated (sympagic) amphipod Apherusa glacialis dominated the stomach contents by mass, indicating a high importance of sympagic fauna in young polar cod diets. The biomass of food measured in stomachs implied constant feeding at daily rates of ~ 1.2% body mass per fish, indicating the potential for positive growth. FA profiles of polar cod indicated that diatoms were the primary carbon source, indirectly obtained via amphipods and copepods. The αIce using bulk isotope data from muscle was estimated to be > 90%. In comparison, αIce based on CSIA ranged from 34 to 65%, with the highest estimates from muscle and the lowest from liver tissue. Overall, our results indicate a strong dependency of polar cod on ice-algae produced carbon. This suggests that young polar cod may be particularly vulnerable to changes in the distribution and structure of sea ice habitats. Due to the ecological key role of polar cod, changes at the base of the sea ice-associated food web are likely to affect the higher trophic levels of high-Arctic ecosystems. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kohlbach, Doreen Schaafsma, Fokje Graeve, Martin Lebreton, Benoit Lange, Benjamin David, Carmen Vortkamp, Martina Flores, Hauke |
spellingShingle |
Kohlbach, Doreen Schaafsma, Fokje Graeve, Martin Lebreton, Benoit Lange, Benjamin David, Carmen Vortkamp, Martina Flores, Hauke Strong linkage of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: Evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses |
author_facet |
Kohlbach, Doreen Schaafsma, Fokje Graeve, Martin Lebreton, Benoit Lange, Benjamin David, Carmen Vortkamp, Martina Flores, Hauke |
author_sort |
Kohlbach, Doreen |
title |
Strong linkage of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: Evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses |
title_short |
Strong linkage of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: Evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses |
title_full |
Strong linkage of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: Evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses |
title_fullStr |
Strong linkage of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: Evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses |
title_full_unstemmed |
Strong linkage of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: Evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses |
title_sort |
strong linkage of polar cod (boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses |
publisher |
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/44946/ https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.51174 |
genre |
Arctic Ocean Boreogadus saida ice algae polar cod Sea ice Copepods |
genre_facet |
Arctic Ocean Boreogadus saida ice algae polar cod Sea ice Copepods |
op_source |
EPIC3Progress In Oceanography, PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 152, pp. 62-74, ISSN: 0079-6611 |
op_relation |
Kohlbach, D. , Schaafsma, F. , Graeve, M. orcid:0000-0002-2294-1915 , Lebreton, B. , Lange, B. , David, C. , Vortkamp, M. and Flores, H. orcid:0000-0003-1617-5449 (2017) Strong linkage of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) to sea ice algae-produced carbon: Evidence from stomach content, fatty acid and stable isotope analyses , Progress In Oceanography, 152 , pp. 62-74 . doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2017.02.003 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2017.02.003> , hdl:10013/epic.51174 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2017.02.003 |
container_title |
Progress in Oceanography |
container_volume |
152 |
container_start_page |
62 |
op_container_end_page |
74 |
_version_ |
1810430492926803968 |