Towards the trophic structure of the Bouvet Island marine ecosystem

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: Jacob, U., Brey, T., Fetzer, Ingo, Kaehler, S., Mintenbeck, K., Dunton, K., Beyer, K., Struck, U., Pakhomov, E.A., Arntz, W.E.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2006
• Subjects: Antarctic; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Bouvet; Bouvet Island; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=2739; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-005-0071-8

Although Bouvet Island is of considerable importance for Southern Ocean species conservation, information on the marine community species inventory and trophic functioning is scarce. Our combined study of stable isotopes and feeding relationships shows that (1) the marine system conforms to the trophic pattern described for other Antarctic systems within the Antarctic circumpolar current (ACC); (2) both the benthic and the pelagic subsystem are almost exclusively linked via suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM); and (3) there is no evidence of a subsystem driven by macroalgae. Bouvet Island can therefore be characterized as a benthic “oasis” within a self-sustaining open ocean pelagic system.