Do bioturbators affect Arctic soft bottom communities?
A general understanding of drivers influencing biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems is a central focus in ecology, especially in times of global change. Marine soft-bottom habitats as important food sources for higher trophic levels are expected to react to these global changes with altera...
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ftoceanrep:oai:oceanrep.geomar.de:23186 2023-05-15T14:23:24+02:00 Do bioturbators affect Arctic soft bottom communities? Petrowski, Sina 2013 text https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/23186/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/23186/1/M.Sc.%202013%20Petrowski,%20S.pdf en eng https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/23186/1/M.Sc.%202013%20Petrowski,%20S.pdf Petrowski, S. (2013) Do bioturbators affect Arctic soft bottom communities?. (Master thesis), Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany, . pp. info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Course of study: MSc Biological Oceanography Thesis NonPeerReviewed 2013 ftoceanrep 2023-04-07T15:12:02Z A general understanding of drivers influencing biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems is a central focus in ecology, especially in times of global change. Marine soft-bottom habitats as important food sources for higher trophic levels are expected to react to these global changes with alterations in composition and structure of benthic flora and fauna. However, little is known about the functioning of these habitats in high latitudes such as Arctic sedimentary environments. Bioturbation in a broad sense is the biological reworking of soils and sediments by all kinds of organisms. This process is, as well as consumption, an important driver of benthic species occurrence and dynamics. This study has determined the effects of bioturbation on benthic assemblages in a shallow Arctic soft-bottom habitat. A manipulative field experiment was conducted in l<ongsfjorden, Svalbard (79° N, 10° E), in summer 2012. Species composition in this fjord was dominated by crustaceans (50 %), polychaetes (32 %) and mollusks (13 %). The effects of bioturbation were determined using three bioturbation treatments, accomplished in an in-situ experiment: (i) exclusion of bioturbating animals by burying a plastic mesh into the sediment, (ii) procedural control treatments without a mesh but with the same disturbance as in areas with mesh, and (iii) un-treated areas as controls. Additionally, different cage treatments were installed at bioturbation areas to test for consumption effects, apart and combined with bioturbation. Exclusion of bioturbators showed significant effects on species richness, number of individuals and dry mass of benthic organisms, as well as on species composition, while predation had no effects. lt is suggested that bioturbation is a main driver shaping community patterns in Arctic softbottom environments, while predation seems to be of minor importance. Thesis Arctic Arctic Svalbard OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) Arctic Svalbard |
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Course of study: MSc Biological Oceanography |
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Course of study: MSc Biological Oceanography Petrowski, Sina Do bioturbators affect Arctic soft bottom communities? |
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Course of study: MSc Biological Oceanography |
description |
A general understanding of drivers influencing biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems is a central focus in ecology, especially in times of global change. Marine soft-bottom habitats as important food sources for higher trophic levels are expected to react to these global changes with alterations in composition and structure of benthic flora and fauna. However, little is known about the functioning of these habitats in high latitudes such as Arctic sedimentary environments. Bioturbation in a broad sense is the biological reworking of soils and sediments by all kinds of organisms. This process is, as well as consumption, an important driver of benthic species occurrence and dynamics. This study has determined the effects of bioturbation on benthic assemblages in a shallow Arctic soft-bottom habitat. A manipulative field experiment was conducted in l<ongsfjorden, Svalbard (79° N, 10° E), in summer 2012. Species composition in this fjord was dominated by crustaceans (50 %), polychaetes (32 %) and mollusks (13 %). The effects of bioturbation were determined using three bioturbation treatments, accomplished in an in-situ experiment: (i) exclusion of bioturbating animals by burying a plastic mesh into the sediment, (ii) procedural control treatments without a mesh but with the same disturbance as in areas with mesh, and (iii) un-treated areas as controls. Additionally, different cage treatments were installed at bioturbation areas to test for consumption effects, apart and combined with bioturbation. Exclusion of bioturbators showed significant effects on species richness, number of individuals and dry mass of benthic organisms, as well as on species composition, while predation had no effects. lt is suggested that bioturbation is a main driver shaping community patterns in Arctic softbottom environments, while predation seems to be of minor importance. |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Petrowski, Sina |
author_facet |
Petrowski, Sina |
author_sort |
Petrowski, Sina |
title |
Do bioturbators affect Arctic soft bottom communities? |
title_short |
Do bioturbators affect Arctic soft bottom communities? |
title_full |
Do bioturbators affect Arctic soft bottom communities? |
title_fullStr |
Do bioturbators affect Arctic soft bottom communities? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Do bioturbators affect Arctic soft bottom communities? |
title_sort |
do bioturbators affect arctic soft bottom communities? |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/23186/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/23186/1/M.Sc.%202013%20Petrowski,%20S.pdf |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Svalbard |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Svalbard |
op_relation |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/23186/1/M.Sc.%202013%20Petrowski,%20S.pdf Petrowski, S. (2013) Do bioturbators affect Arctic soft bottom communities?. (Master thesis), Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany, . pp. |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
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1766295961694371840 |