Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland
Ilulissat Icefjord in Greenland is experiencing the effects of climate change, with the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier being one of the fastest-moving and most productive ice streams in Greenland. This is likely affecting the distribution of species in the fjord, including those impor- tant to local fisher...
Published in: | Marine Ecology Progress Series |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2023
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/environmental-dna-metabarcoding-reveals-seasonal-and-spatial-variation-in-the-vertebrate-fauna-of-ilulissat-icefjord-greenland(5b691b4d-be2e-44e6-8f1c-3003da4be6c3).html https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14250 |
id |
ftuniaarhuspubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/5b691b4d-be2e-44e6-8f1c-3003da4be6c3 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftuniaarhuspubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/5b691b4d-be2e-44e6-8f1c-3003da4be6c3 2023-12-31T10:04:13+01:00 Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland Schiøtt, Sascha Jensen, Mads Reinholdt Sigsgaard, Eva Egelyng Møller, Peter Rask de Paula Avila, Marcelo Thomsen, Philip Francis Rysgaard, Søren 2023-02 https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/environmental-dna-metabarcoding-reveals-seasonal-and-spatial-variation-in-the-vertebrate-fauna-of-ilulissat-icefjord-greenland(5b691b4d-be2e-44e6-8f1c-3003da4be6c3).html https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14250 eng eng https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/environmental-dna-metabarcoding-reveals-seasonal-and-spatial-variation-in-the-vertebrate-fauna-of-ilulissat-icefjord-greenland(5b691b4d-be2e-44e6-8f1c-3003da4be6c3).html info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Schiøtt , S , Jensen , M R , Sigsgaard , E E , Møller , P R , de Paula Avila , M , Thomsen , P F & Rysgaard , S 2023 , ' Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland ' , Marine Ecology Progress Series , vol. 706 , pp. 91-108 . https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14250 Indigenous knowledge Jakobshavn Icefjord Marine-terminating glacier Oceanography eDNA article 2023 ftuniaarhuspubl https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14250 2023-12-07T00:05:59Z Ilulissat Icefjord in Greenland is experiencing the effects of climate change, with the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier being one of the fastest-moving and most productive ice streams in Greenland. This is likely affecting the distribution of species in the fjord, including those impor- tant to local fisheries. Due to heavy ice conditions, few studies on environmental and ecological conditions exist from the fjord. However, new techniques such as environmental DNA (eDNA) meta barcoding now allow deeper insight into the fjord system. Here, we combine local ecological knowledge with data on hydrographic conditions, stable isotopes (δ18O), and eDNA metabarcod- ing to investigate the spatial and seasonal distribution of marine fish and mammals inside Ilulissat Icefjord. Our eDNA results support local observations that Arctic char migrate to the southern fjord during summer, harp seals forage in large herds in the fjord system, polar cod is the domi- nant prey fish in the area, and Greenland shark likely does not reside in the fjord system. Lower predation pressure in the Icefjord, due to the absence of Greenland shark and polar bears as well as limited fishing/hunting, is presumably one of the reasons why ringed seals and Greenland hal- ibut are larger in the Icefjord. Furthermore, our results indicate that in summer, the southern branch of the fjord system has a more diverse community of vertebrates and different water masses than the northern branch and main fjord, indicating a time lag between inflows to the dif- ferent branches of the fjord system. Our approach highlights the value of combining local ecolog- ical knowledge with scientific research and represents a potential starting point for monitoring biological responses in Ilulissat Icefjord associated with climate-induced changes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change glacier Greenland Ilulissat Jakobshavn Kujalleq polar cod Sermeq Kujalleq Aarhus University: Research Marine Ecology Progress Series 706 91 108 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Aarhus University: Research |
op_collection_id |
ftuniaarhuspubl |
language |
English |
topic |
Indigenous knowledge Jakobshavn Icefjord Marine-terminating glacier Oceanography eDNA |
spellingShingle |
Indigenous knowledge Jakobshavn Icefjord Marine-terminating glacier Oceanography eDNA Schiøtt, Sascha Jensen, Mads Reinholdt Sigsgaard, Eva Egelyng Møller, Peter Rask de Paula Avila, Marcelo Thomsen, Philip Francis Rysgaard, Søren Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland |
topic_facet |
Indigenous knowledge Jakobshavn Icefjord Marine-terminating glacier Oceanography eDNA |
description |
Ilulissat Icefjord in Greenland is experiencing the effects of climate change, with the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier being one of the fastest-moving and most productive ice streams in Greenland. This is likely affecting the distribution of species in the fjord, including those impor- tant to local fisheries. Due to heavy ice conditions, few studies on environmental and ecological conditions exist from the fjord. However, new techniques such as environmental DNA (eDNA) meta barcoding now allow deeper insight into the fjord system. Here, we combine local ecological knowledge with data on hydrographic conditions, stable isotopes (δ18O), and eDNA metabarcod- ing to investigate the spatial and seasonal distribution of marine fish and mammals inside Ilulissat Icefjord. Our eDNA results support local observations that Arctic char migrate to the southern fjord during summer, harp seals forage in large herds in the fjord system, polar cod is the domi- nant prey fish in the area, and Greenland shark likely does not reside in the fjord system. Lower predation pressure in the Icefjord, due to the absence of Greenland shark and polar bears as well as limited fishing/hunting, is presumably one of the reasons why ringed seals and Greenland hal- ibut are larger in the Icefjord. Furthermore, our results indicate that in summer, the southern branch of the fjord system has a more diverse community of vertebrates and different water masses than the northern branch and main fjord, indicating a time lag between inflows to the dif- ferent branches of the fjord system. Our approach highlights the value of combining local ecolog- ical knowledge with scientific research and represents a potential starting point for monitoring biological responses in Ilulissat Icefjord associated with climate-induced changes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Schiøtt, Sascha Jensen, Mads Reinholdt Sigsgaard, Eva Egelyng Møller, Peter Rask de Paula Avila, Marcelo Thomsen, Philip Francis Rysgaard, Søren |
author_facet |
Schiøtt, Sascha Jensen, Mads Reinholdt Sigsgaard, Eva Egelyng Møller, Peter Rask de Paula Avila, Marcelo Thomsen, Philip Francis Rysgaard, Søren |
author_sort |
Schiøtt, Sascha |
title |
Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland |
title_short |
Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland |
title_full |
Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland |
title_fullStr |
Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland |
title_sort |
environmental dna metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of ilulissat icefjord, greenland |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/environmental-dna-metabarcoding-reveals-seasonal-and-spatial-variation-in-the-vertebrate-fauna-of-ilulissat-icefjord-greenland(5b691b4d-be2e-44e6-8f1c-3003da4be6c3).html https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14250 |
genre |
Arctic Climate change glacier Greenland Ilulissat Jakobshavn Kujalleq polar cod Sermeq Kujalleq |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change glacier Greenland Ilulissat Jakobshavn Kujalleq polar cod Sermeq Kujalleq |
op_source |
Schiøtt , S , Jensen , M R , Sigsgaard , E E , Møller , P R , de Paula Avila , M , Thomsen , P F & Rysgaard , S 2023 , ' Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonal and spatial variation in the vertebrate fauna of Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland ' , Marine Ecology Progress Series , vol. 706 , pp. 91-108 . https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14250 |
op_relation |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/environmental-dna-metabarcoding-reveals-seasonal-and-spatial-variation-in-the-vertebrate-fauna-of-ilulissat-icefjord-greenland(5b691b4d-be2e-44e6-8f1c-3003da4be6c3).html |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14250 |
container_title |
Marine Ecology Progress Series |
container_volume |
706 |
container_start_page |
91 |
op_container_end_page |
108 |
_version_ |
1786830588138749952 |