Benthic communities of the Filchner Region (Weddell Sea, Antarctica)

• Published in: Marine Ecology Progress Series
• Main Authors: Pineda-Metz, Santiago E. A., Isla, Enrique, Gerdes, Dieter
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Inter Research 2019
• Subjects: Zoobenthic distribution patterns; Southern Ocean; Epifaunal benthos; Mega- and macrofauna; Infaunal benthos; Sediment cores; Seabed images; Environment-benthic relationships; Antarctic; Austral; Weddell; Weddell Sea; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Shelf
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/194940; https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13093

18 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables Due to extreme pack ice, the Filchner Region in the southern Weddell Sea is one of the least studied regions on the planet. Here, we provide a detailed description of the benthic communities of this high-Antarctic ecosystem, and assess the relationship between environmental factors and benthic distribution patterns. Fieldwork was performed in the austral summers of 2013-14 and 2015-16 during the R/V ‘Polarstern’ cruises PS82 and PS96. Using a combination of multibox corer (MBC) and seabed image data from 37 stations (water depths 243-1217 m), we differentiated 6 station groups. While 1 of these groups was comprised of a single station, the other 5 groups represented distinct benthic communities. Three of these correspond to the previously described Eastern Shelf, Southern Shelf, and Southern Trench communities. However, we found distribution shifts and MBC abundance and biomass reductions when comparing our results with earlier studies. The other 2 groups have novel characteristics and are presented here as an Ice/Ice Shelf Water-related community and a Continental slope community. Water depth in combination with 2 or 3 other environmental variables (out of 7 available) explained <30% of the benthic distribution and composition. We found a tighter relationship between water mass circulation and spatial distribution of the communities; we suggest using water-mass-related characteristics (e.g. productivity regimes, water currents) to better explain benthic spatial distribution pattern Peer Reviewed