Glacial melt disturbance shifts community metabolism of an Antarctic seafloor ecosystem from net autotrophy to heterotrophy

• Published in: Communications Biology
• Main Authors: Braeckman, Ulrike, Pasotti, Francesca, Hoffmann, Ralf, Vázquez, Susana Claudia, Wulff, Angela, Schloss, Irene Ruth, Falk, Ulrike, Deregibus, Dolores, Lefaible, Nene, Torstensson, Anders, Al Handal, Adil, Wenzhöfer, Frank, Vanreusel, Ann
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Nature
• Subjects: ANTARCTICA; CARBON BALANCE; CLIMATE CHANGE; POTTER COVE; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Austral; Potter Cove; Argentino; Argentina; Suecia; Dolores; Antarc*; Antarctica; Dirección Nacional del Antártico; Instituto Antártico Argentino
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11336/144007

Climate change-induced glacial melt affects benthic ecosystems along the West Antarctic Peninsula, but current understanding of the effects on benthic primary production and respiration is limited. Here we demonstrate with a series of in situ community metabolism measurements that climate-related glacial melt disturbance shifts benthic communities from net autotrophy to heterotrophy. With little glacial melt disturbance (during cold El Niño spring 2015), clear waters enabled high benthic microalgal production, resulting in net autotrophic benthic communities. In contrast, water column turbidity caused by increased glacial melt run-off (summer 2015 and warm La Niña spring 2016) limited benthic microalgal production and turned the benthic communities net heterotrophic. Ongoing accelerations in glacial melt and run-off may steer shallow Antarctic seafloor ecosystems towards net heterotrophy, altering the metabolic balance of benthic communities and potentially impacting the carbon balance and food webs at the Antarctic seafloor. Fil: Braeckman, Ulrike. University of Ghent; Bélgica Fil: Pasotti, Francesca. University of Ghent; Bélgica Fil: Hoffmann, Ralf. Helmholtz Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung; Alemania Fil: Vázquez, Susana Claudia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología; Argentina Fil: Wulff, Angela. University Goteborg; Suecia Fil: Schloss, Irene Ruth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Interno y Culto. Dirección Nacional del Antártico. Instituto Antártico Argentino; Argentina Fil: Falk, Ulrike. Universitat Bremen; Alemania Fil: Deregibus, Dolores. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Interno y Culto. Dirección Nacional del Antártico. Instituto Antártico ...