Spatial patterns and behaviour of notothenioid fishes off the northern Antarctic Peninsula

A photographic seabed survey conducted off the Antarctic Peninsula region provided the opportunity to study spatial patterns, abundance and behaviour of the notothenioid benthic fish fauna. Overall, a total of 12,715 images taken with the Ocean Floor Observation System (OFOS) along 26 transects in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: La Mesa, Mario, La Mesa, Gabriele, Piepenburg, Dieter, Gutt, Julian, Eastman, Joseph T
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2022
Subjects:
Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Bransfield Strait
Drake Passage
Joinville
Joinville Island
The Antarctic
Antarc*
antarcticus
Polar Biology
Online Access:https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/57015/
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/57015/1/s00300-022-03047-y.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.07caed98-f8f9-430b-b1aa-117805f5f706
Description
Summary:A photographic seabed survey conducted off the Antarctic Peninsula region provided the opportunity to study spatial patterns, abundance and behaviour of the notothenioid benthic fish fauna. Overall, a total of 12,715 images taken with the Ocean Floor Observation System (OFOS) along 26 transects in three ecoregions (Joinville Island, Bransfield Strait and Drake Passage) were analysed. The fish fauna consisted of at least 34 species belonging to four families of both low-Antarctic and high-Antarctic origin. Nototheniids showed the highest relative abundance and species richness, followed by channichthyids, bathydraconids and artedidraconids. Direct in-situ observations in OFOS seabed images allowed descriptions of fish behaviour, such as aggregation of individuals (Notothenia coriiceps), specific body postures (Cygnodraco mawsoni and Cryodraco antarcticus) and parental care (Chaenodraco wilsoni, Chionodraco rastrospinosus, Pagetopsis macropterus and Trematomus hansoni). Fish density and species richness was primarily correlated with the occurrence of bryozoans, ascidians, and large cup-shaped sponges, providing a three-dimensional habitat suitable for fish settling, foraging, breeding and refuge from predators. Fish diversity was higher (a) off Joinville Island and in Bransfield Strait than in Drake Passage, where almost exclusively low-Antarctic species were recorded, and (b) between 100 and 600 m than at greater depths. Overall, the benthic fish fauna off the northern Antarctic Peninsula is zoogeographically composite and widespread, with well-structured spatial partitioning.

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