Drift Algal Accumulation in Ice Scour Pits Provides an Underestimated Ecological Subsidy in a Novel Antarctic Soft-Sediment Habitat
Ice scouring is one of the strongest agents of disturbance in nearshore environments at high latitudes. In depths, less than 20 m, grounding icebergs reshape the soft-sediment seabed by gouging furrows called ice pits. Large amounts of drift algae (up to 5.6 kg/m 2 ) that would otherwise be transpor...
Published in: | Biology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2023
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12010128 https://doaj.org/article/21eb05811fa544c7800e24eddb6ab6d2 |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:21eb05811fa544c7800e24eddb6ab6d2 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:21eb05811fa544c7800e24eddb6ab6d2 2023-10-01T03:52:04+02:00 Drift Algal Accumulation in Ice Scour Pits Provides an Underestimated Ecological Subsidy in a Novel Antarctic Soft-Sediment Habitat Ignacio Garrido Heather L. Hawk Paulina Bruning Luis Miguel Pardo Ladd E. Johnson 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12010128 https://doaj.org/article/21eb05811fa544c7800e24eddb6ab6d2 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/1/128 https://doaj.org/toc/2079-7737 doi:10.3390/biology12010128 2079-7737 https://doaj.org/article/21eb05811fa544c7800e24eddb6ab6d2 Biology, Vol 12, Iss 128, p 128 (2023) Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic benthic communities polar benthos polar warming drift algae ice pits Biology (General) QH301-705.5 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12010128 2023-09-03T00:45:12Z Ice scouring is one of the strongest agents of disturbance in nearshore environments at high latitudes. In depths, less than 20 m, grounding icebergs reshape the soft-sediment seabed by gouging furrows called ice pits. Large amounts of drift algae (up to 5.6 kg/m 2 ) that would otherwise be transported to deeper water accumulate inside these features, representing an underestimated subsidy. Our work documents the distribution and dimensions of ice pits in Fildes Bay, Antarctica, and evaluates their relationship to the biomass and species composition of algae found within them. It also assesses the rates of deposition and advective loss of algae in the pits. The 17 ice pits found in the study area covered only 4.2% of the seabed but contained 98% of drift algal biomass, i.e., 60 times the density (kg/m 2 ) of the surrounding seabed. Larger ice pits had larger and denser algal accumulations than small pits and had different species compositions. The accumulations were stable over time: experimentally cleared pits regained initial biomass levels after one year, and advective loss was less than 15% annually. Further research is needed to understand the impacts of ice scouring and subsequent algal retention on ecosystem functioning in this rapidly changing polar environment. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Iceberg* Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Fildes ENVELOPE(-58.817,-58.817,-62.217,-62.217) Biology 12 1 128 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic benthic communities polar benthos polar warming drift algae ice pits Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
spellingShingle |
Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic benthic communities polar benthos polar warming drift algae ice pits Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ignacio Garrido Heather L. Hawk Paulina Bruning Luis Miguel Pardo Ladd E. Johnson Drift Algal Accumulation in Ice Scour Pits Provides an Underestimated Ecological Subsidy in a Novel Antarctic Soft-Sediment Habitat |
topic_facet |
Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic benthic communities polar benthos polar warming drift algae ice pits Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
description |
Ice scouring is one of the strongest agents of disturbance in nearshore environments at high latitudes. In depths, less than 20 m, grounding icebergs reshape the soft-sediment seabed by gouging furrows called ice pits. Large amounts of drift algae (up to 5.6 kg/m 2 ) that would otherwise be transported to deeper water accumulate inside these features, representing an underestimated subsidy. Our work documents the distribution and dimensions of ice pits in Fildes Bay, Antarctica, and evaluates their relationship to the biomass and species composition of algae found within them. It also assesses the rates of deposition and advective loss of algae in the pits. The 17 ice pits found in the study area covered only 4.2% of the seabed but contained 98% of drift algal biomass, i.e., 60 times the density (kg/m 2 ) of the surrounding seabed. Larger ice pits had larger and denser algal accumulations than small pits and had different species compositions. The accumulations were stable over time: experimentally cleared pits regained initial biomass levels after one year, and advective loss was less than 15% annually. Further research is needed to understand the impacts of ice scouring and subsequent algal retention on ecosystem functioning in this rapidly changing polar environment. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ignacio Garrido Heather L. Hawk Paulina Bruning Luis Miguel Pardo Ladd E. Johnson |
author_facet |
Ignacio Garrido Heather L. Hawk Paulina Bruning Luis Miguel Pardo Ladd E. Johnson |
author_sort |
Ignacio Garrido |
title |
Drift Algal Accumulation in Ice Scour Pits Provides an Underestimated Ecological Subsidy in a Novel Antarctic Soft-Sediment Habitat |
title_short |
Drift Algal Accumulation in Ice Scour Pits Provides an Underestimated Ecological Subsidy in a Novel Antarctic Soft-Sediment Habitat |
title_full |
Drift Algal Accumulation in Ice Scour Pits Provides an Underestimated Ecological Subsidy in a Novel Antarctic Soft-Sediment Habitat |
title_fullStr |
Drift Algal Accumulation in Ice Scour Pits Provides an Underestimated Ecological Subsidy in a Novel Antarctic Soft-Sediment Habitat |
title_full_unstemmed |
Drift Algal Accumulation in Ice Scour Pits Provides an Underestimated Ecological Subsidy in a Novel Antarctic Soft-Sediment Habitat |
title_sort |
drift algal accumulation in ice scour pits provides an underestimated ecological subsidy in a novel antarctic soft-sediment habitat |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12010128 https://doaj.org/article/21eb05811fa544c7800e24eddb6ab6d2 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-58.817,-58.817,-62.217,-62.217) |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Fildes |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Fildes |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Iceberg* |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Iceberg* |
op_source |
Biology, Vol 12, Iss 128, p 128 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/1/128 https://doaj.org/toc/2079-7737 doi:10.3390/biology12010128 2079-7737 https://doaj.org/article/21eb05811fa544c7800e24eddb6ab6d2 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12010128 |
container_title |
Biology |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
128 |
_version_ |
1778517614426849280 |