Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the South West South Georgia margin
Despite a number of studies in areas of focused methane seepage, the extent of transitional sediments of more diffuse methane seepage, and their influence upon biological communities is poorly understood. We investigated an area of reducing sediments with elevated levels of methane on the South Geor...
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ftsouthampton:oai:eprints.soton.ac.uk:401940 2023-08-27T04:05:07+02:00 Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the South West South Georgia margin Bell, James B. Aquilina, Alfred Woulds, Clare Glover, Adrian G. Little, Crispin T.S. Reid, William D.K. Hepburn, Laura E. Newton, Jason Mills, Rachel A. 2016-09-28 text https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/401940/ https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/401940/1/160284.full.pdf en English eng https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/401940/1/160284.full.pdf Bell, James B., Aquilina, Alfred, Woulds, Clare, Glover, Adrian G., Little, Crispin T.S., Reid, William D.K., Hepburn, Laura E., Newton, Jason and Mills, Rachel A. (2016) Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the South West South Georgia margin. Royal Society Open Science, 3 (9), 160284. (doi:10.1098/rsos.160284 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160284>). cc_by_4 Article PeerReviewed 2016 ftsouthampton https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160284 2023-08-03T22:21:56Z Despite a number of studies in areas of focused methane seepage, the extent of transitional sediments of more diffuse methane seepage, and their influence upon biological communities is poorly understood. We investigated an area of reducing sediments with elevated levels of methane on the South Georgia margin around 250?m depth and report data from a series of geochemical and biological analyses. Here, the geochemical signatures were consistent with weak methane seepage and the role of sub-surface methane consumption was clearly very important, preventing gas emissions into bottom waters. As a result, the contribution of methane-derived carbon to the microbial and metazoan food webs was very limited, although sulfur isotopic signatures indicated a wider range of dietary contributions than was apparent from carbon isotope ratios. Macrofaunal assemblages had high dominance and were indicative of reducing sediments, with many taxa common to other similar environments and no seep-endemic fauna, indicating transitional assemblages. Also similar to other cold seep areas, there were samples of authigenic carbonate, but rather than occurring as pavements or sedimentary concretions, these carbonates were restricted to patches on the shells of Axinulus antarcticus (Bivalvia, Thyasiridae), which is suggestive of microbe–metazoan interactions. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* antarcticus University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton Royal Society Open Science 3 9 160284 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton |
op_collection_id |
ftsouthampton |
language |
English |
description |
Despite a number of studies in areas of focused methane seepage, the extent of transitional sediments of more diffuse methane seepage, and their influence upon biological communities is poorly understood. We investigated an area of reducing sediments with elevated levels of methane on the South Georgia margin around 250?m depth and report data from a series of geochemical and biological analyses. Here, the geochemical signatures were consistent with weak methane seepage and the role of sub-surface methane consumption was clearly very important, preventing gas emissions into bottom waters. As a result, the contribution of methane-derived carbon to the microbial and metazoan food webs was very limited, although sulfur isotopic signatures indicated a wider range of dietary contributions than was apparent from carbon isotope ratios. Macrofaunal assemblages had high dominance and were indicative of reducing sediments, with many taxa common to other similar environments and no seep-endemic fauna, indicating transitional assemblages. Also similar to other cold seep areas, there were samples of authigenic carbonate, but rather than occurring as pavements or sedimentary concretions, these carbonates were restricted to patches on the shells of Axinulus antarcticus (Bivalvia, Thyasiridae), which is suggestive of microbe–metazoan interactions. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bell, James B. Aquilina, Alfred Woulds, Clare Glover, Adrian G. Little, Crispin T.S. Reid, William D.K. Hepburn, Laura E. Newton, Jason Mills, Rachel A. |
spellingShingle |
Bell, James B. Aquilina, Alfred Woulds, Clare Glover, Adrian G. Little, Crispin T.S. Reid, William D.K. Hepburn, Laura E. Newton, Jason Mills, Rachel A. Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the South West South Georgia margin |
author_facet |
Bell, James B. Aquilina, Alfred Woulds, Clare Glover, Adrian G. Little, Crispin T.S. Reid, William D.K. Hepburn, Laura E. Newton, Jason Mills, Rachel A. |
author_sort |
Bell, James B. |
title |
Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the South West South Georgia margin |
title_short |
Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the South West South Georgia margin |
title_full |
Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the South West South Georgia margin |
title_fullStr |
Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the South West South Georgia margin |
title_full_unstemmed |
Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the South West South Georgia margin |
title_sort |
geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the south west south georgia margin |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/401940/ https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/401940/1/160284.full.pdf |
genre |
Antarc* antarcticus |
genre_facet |
Antarc* antarcticus |
op_relation |
https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/401940/1/160284.full.pdf Bell, James B., Aquilina, Alfred, Woulds, Clare, Glover, Adrian G., Little, Crispin T.S., Reid, William D.K., Hepburn, Laura E., Newton, Jason and Mills, Rachel A. (2016) Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the South West South Georgia margin. Royal Society Open Science, 3 (9), 160284. (doi:10.1098/rsos.160284 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160284>). |
op_rights |
cc_by_4 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160284 |
container_title |
Royal Society Open Science |
container_volume |
3 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
160284 |
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1775356116790673408 |