Colonies of Gyrosigma eximium: a new phenomenon in Arctic tidal flats

For the first time at Svalbard, a colonial form of the tube-dwelling diatom Gyrosigma eximium was found in summer 2010 in the tidal flats on Spitsbergen at 78°N. The colonies take the form of conical, green structures that are 1–2 cm high and are associated with other diatom taxa and cyanobacteria (...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oceanologia
Main Authors: Józef Wiktor, Agnieszka Tatarek, Jan M. Węsławski, Lech Kotwicki, Michel Poulin
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2016
Subjects:
Tidal flat
Tube-dwelling diatoms
Spitsbergen
Oceanography
GC1-1581
Arctic
Svalbard
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceano.2016.04.007
https://doaj.org/article/00ffb4a3da154aa59b1e424d611f6df4
Description
Summary:For the first time at Svalbard, a colonial form of the tube-dwelling diatom Gyrosigma eximium was found in summer 2010 in the tidal flats on Spitsbergen at 78°N. The colonies take the form of conical, green structures that are 1–2 cm high and are associated with other diatom taxa and cyanobacteria (Oscillatoriaceae). The diatom colonies were associated with rich meiofauna and apparently act as cohesive factors for the fine sediment. In the Arctic tidal flats, this represents the first observation of long-term sediment stabilization and biological enrichment. Since this first observation, this species has apparently colonized broader areas in Advenentelva's tidal flat.

Similar Items