| Summary: | Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2010 "Arctic coastal fast ice supports high densities of sea ice algae, and is thermally stable at the ice-water interface at around the freezing point of sea water, providing a suitable environment for sympagic meiofauna feeding on the sea ice algae during spring months. Changes in water temperature due to seasonality and climate change may affect physiological processes of these organisms. We tested the hypothesis that juvenile growth rates of a common sympagic polychaete, Scolelepis squamata (Polychaeta: Spionidae), would be significantly faster at typical spring sea ice algal concentrations compared to concurrent phytoplankton concentrations and at open water summer versus winter temperatures. Juvenile S. squamata from fast ice off Barrow, Alaska were fed three algal concentrations at 0°C and 5°C, simulating ambient high sea ice algal concentrations, concurrent low phytoplankton concentrations and an intermediate concentration. Growth rates, calculated using a simple linear regression equation, were significantly higher (up to 225 times) at the highest algal concentration compared to the lowest in all experiments, showing sea ice to provide more beneficial food situation compared to the under-ice water column. Additionally, juveniles grew over five times faster at 5°C compared to those feeding at 0°C, forecasting faster juvenile growth as Arctic temperatures warm"--Leaf iii National Science Foundation (NSF, Award ID: 0520566)
|
|---|