Antarctic sympagic meiofauna in winter ...

• Main Authors: Kramer, Maike, Swadling, Kerrie M, Meiners, Klaus M, Kiko, Rainer, Scheltz, Annette, Nicolaus, Marcel, Werner, Iris
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2010
• Subjects: Ice station; Multiple investigations; SIPEX; ANT-XXIII/7; Aurora Australis; Polarstern; International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Priority Programme 1158 Antarctic Research with Comparable Investigations in Arctic Sea Ice Areas SPP1158; Antarctic; Arctic; Indian; The Antarctic; Weddell; Weddell Sea; Antarc*; aurora australis; International Polar Year; IPY; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.734773; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.734773

This study of Antarctic sympagic meiofauna in pack ice during late winter compares communities between the perennially ice-covered western Weddell Sea and the seasonally ice-covered southern Indian Ocean. Sympagic meiofauna (proto- and metazoans > 20 µm) and eggs > 20 µm were studied in terms of diversity, abundance and carbon biomass, and with respect to vertical distribution. Metazoan meiofauna had significantly higher abundance and biomass in the western Weddell Sea (medians: 31.1 * 10**3/m**2 and 6.53 mg/m**2, respectively) than in the southern Indian Ocean (medians: 1.0 * 10**3 /m**2 and 0.06 mg/m**2, respectively). Metazoan diversity was also significantly higher in the western Weddell Sea. Furthermore, the two regions differed significantly in terms of meiofauna community composition, as revealed through multivariate analyses. The overall diversity of sympagic meiofauna was high, and integrated abundance and biomass of total meiofauna were also high in both regions (0.6 - 178.6 * 10**3/m**2 and ... : Project: 'The role of sympagic meiofauna for the flow of organic matter and energy in the Antarctic and Arctic sea-ice foodwebs' (Project No WE 2536 / 11-1, -2, I. Werner and M. Spindler, Institute for Polar Ecology, Kiel, Germany); funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...