Distribution and composition of macrobenthic communities along a Victoria-Land Transect (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: Rehm, P., Thatje, S., Arntz, W.E., Brandt, A., Heilmayer, O.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Cape Russell; Italica; Ross Sea; Victoria Land; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Biology
• Online Access: https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/41152/; https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/41152/1/Rehm_PolarBiol_06.pdf

The Victoria-Land Transect project onboard the Italian research vessel ‘‘Italica’’ in February 2004, was a large-scale attempt to obtain benthic samples of smaller macrozoobenthic specimens systematically along a latitudinal and a depth transect along the Victoria- Land coast. Data presented from this survey are based on Rauschert dredge samples, which were taken at four areas at depth ranging from 84 to 515 m. A cluster analysis based on relative numbers of abundance was performed and demonstrated a change in community structure depending on the location along the latitudinal transect. A change in community structure with depth was not recorded. Dominant taxa of the Ross Sea fauna along the Victoria-Land coast were the Arthropoda (65.7%), followed by Annelida (20.7%), Mollusca (9.6%) and Echinodermata (2.5%). Total number of abundance decreased with depth with an exception at Cape Russell, whereas a trend in biomass was not documented. Abundance and biomass proportions of major taxa changed gradually along the latitudinal transect.