Status and trends in the structure of Arctic benthic food webs

• Published in: Polar Research
• Main Authors: Kędra, Monika, Moritz, Charlotte, Choy, Emily S., David, Carmen, Degen, Renate, Duerksen, Steven, Ellingsen, Ingrid, Górska, Barbara, Grebmeier, Jacqueline M., Kirievskaya, Dubrava, van Oevelen, Dick, Piwosz, Kasia, Samuelsen, Annette, Węsławski, Jan Marcin
• Other Authors: Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences (IO-PAN), Polska Akademia Nauk = Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), Chesapeake biological laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), University of Maryland System-University of Maryland System, Institut des Sciences de la MER de Rimouski (ISMER), Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Biological Sciences Winnipeg, University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI), Department of Biology (Dalhousie University), Dalhousie University Halifax, Stiftelsen for INdustriell og TEknisk Forskning Digital Trondheim (SINTEF Digital), Novgorod State University, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Department of Fisheries Oceanography and Marine Ecology, National Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center Bergen (NERSC)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2015
• Subjects: Arctic; food web; climate change; sea-ice retreat; trophic transfer; pelagic-benthic coupling; [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; Arctic Ocean; Chukchi; Climate change; ice pack; Polar Research; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01161465; https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01161465/document; https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01161465/file/23775-160544-1-PB.pdf; https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v34.23775

International audience Ongoing climate warming is causing a dramatic loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, and it is projected that the Arctic Ocean will become seasonally ice-free by 2040. Many studies of local Arctic food webs now exist, and with this review paper we aim to synthesize these into a large-scale assessment of the current status of knowledge on the structure of various Arctic marine food webs and their response to climate change, and to sea-ice retreat in particular. Key drivers of ecosystem change and potential consequences for ecosystem functioning and Arctic marine food webs are identified along the sea-ice gradient, with special emphasis on the following regions: seasonally ice-free Barents and Chukchi seas, loose ice pack zone of the Polar Front and Marginal Ice Zone, and permanently sea-ice covered High Arctic. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps in different Arctic marine food webs and provide recommendations for future studies.