(Table 2) Metazoan meiofauna abundance in sediments obtained during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XIX/3 (ANDEEP-1)

• Main Authors: Gutzmann, Erik, Martínez Arbizu, Pedro, Rose, Armin, Veit-Köhler, Gritta
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2004
• Subjects: Amphipoda; ANT-XIX/3; AWI; Bivalvia; Copepoda; Counting >40 µm fraction; Cumacea; Date/Time of event; Elevation of event; Event label; Gastropoda; Gastrotricha; Halacaroidea; Isopoda; Kinorhyncha; Latitude of event; Longitude of event; Loricifera; Meiofauna; abundance; MUC; MultiCorer; Nauplii; Nematoda; Ophiuridae; Ostracoda; Polarstern; Priapulida; Priority Programme 1158 Antarctic Research with Comparable Investigations in Arctic Sea Ice Areas; PS61/042-5; PS61/042-7; PS61/043-4; PS61/043-6; PS61/046-4; PS61/046-6; PS61/099-5; PS61/099-7; PS61/105-2; PS61/105-4; PS61/105-6; PS61/114-5; PS61/114-7; PS61/114-9; PS61/129-5; PS61/129-7; PS61 ANDEEP 1; Rotifera; Scotia Sea; southwest Atlantic; SPP1158; Arctic; Antarctic; Antarc*; Sea ice; Copepods
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.848014; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.848014

Meiofauna standing stocks and community structure are reported for the first time for abyssal soft-sediment samples in Antarctic waters. At seven stations within a depth range of 2274-5194 m a total of 128 sediment cores were retrieved with a multiple corer (MUC) on board of the R.V. Polarstern during the ANDEEP-1 cruise (ANT XIX/3). The metazoan meiofauna (defined by a lower size limit of 40 µm) was identified and counted, and one core per station was preserved for CPE, C/N, TOM and grain size analyses. Meiofauna densities are in the range of 2731 Ind./10 cm² at 2290 m depth and 75 Ind./10 cm² at 3597 m depth, with nematodes being the dominant group at all stations. Nematodes account for 84-94% followed by copepods with 2-8% of the total meiofauna. Other frequent taxa found at each station are kinorhynchs, loriciferans, tantulocarids, ostracods and tardigrades. There is a general tendency of decreasing abundances of metazoan meiofauna with increasing depth, but not all higher level taxa displayed this pattern. In addition, a tendency of decreasing higher taxon density with increasing depth was observed. Standing stocks are higher than the average found at similar depths in other oceans.