Sea ice meiofauna at Syowa Station, Antarctica

• Main Authors: Takao Hoshiai, Atsushi Tanimura
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: National Institute of Polar Research/National Institute of Polar Research 1986
• Subjects: Syowa Station; Antarc*; Antarctica; E. Antarctica; ice algae; Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research; Polar Research; Sea ice; Copepods
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=2037; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00002037/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2037&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

Meiofauna composed mainly of copepods, larvae of some invertebrates and occasionally a ciliate in the bottom layer of the sea ice was observed in the vicinity of Syowa Station (69°00′S, 39°35′E), Antarctica. The copepods that appeared were Paralabidocera antarctica, three species of harpacticoid, Ctenocalanus vanus, Oithona similis and Oncaea curvata in the order of abundance. P. antarctica and harpacticoid species occurred continuously throughout the winter season. The maximum abundance of copepods was 21.8×10^4/m^2 in September 1975. The yearly fluctuation of their abundance was remarkable. P. antarctica grew in the sea ice possibly feeding on ice algae. The ecological relation of harpacticoid species to the sea ice was not clear but a close relationship was presumed. C. vanus, O. similis and O. curvata seemed to be temporal constituents of the meiofauna.