Small-scale variability in benthic food webs in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea
Benthic food web structure can differ over large scales across Arctic shelves in relation to hydrographic conditions, but little is known if such differences also may occur on smaller scales in hydrographically complex areas. The length, food sources, trophic composition, and energy distribution of...
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ftunivalaska:oai:scholarworks.alaska.edu:11122/4590 2023-05-15T15:06:43+02:00 Small-scale variability in benthic food webs in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea Tu, Kelley Lannon Blanchard, Arny Horstmann-Dehn, Larissa Iken, Katrin 2013-08 http://hdl.handle.net/11122/4590 en_US eng http://hdl.handle.net/11122/4590 Program in Marine Science and Limnology Thesis ms 2013 ftunivalaska 2023-02-23T21:36:16Z Benthic food web structure can differ over large scales across Arctic shelves in relation to hydrographic conditions, but little is known if such differences also may occur on smaller scales in hydrographically complex areas. The length, food sources, trophic composition, and energy distribution of benthic food webs in three study areas in the northeastern Chukchi Sea (i.e., Klondike, Burger, and Statoil, as part of the Chukchi Sea Environmental Studies Program) were compared using stable isotope analysis and bomb calorimetry. Food web length (four trophic levels), food sources, and linear models of food webs were comparable among areas. Marked differences in food web structure were observed when trophic levels were quantified by benthic biomass and abundance. High proportions of biomass and abundance of trophic level 3 taxa at Burger were attributed to high deposition of refractory material. High proportions of trophic level 1 and 2 taxa at Klondike and Statoil reflected availability of fresh material. Burger could potentially present a rich foraging ground for some benthic predators due to especially high benthic prey energy densities. Findings emphasize that marine food webs can vary on small spatial scales in accordance with hydrographic conditions, particularly when quantitative trophic level distribution is considered. Thesis Arctic Chukchi Chukchi Sea University of Alaska: ScholarWorks@UA Arctic Chukchi Sea |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Alaska: ScholarWorks@UA |
op_collection_id |
ftunivalaska |
language |
English |
description |
Benthic food web structure can differ over large scales across Arctic shelves in relation to hydrographic conditions, but little is known if such differences also may occur on smaller scales in hydrographically complex areas. The length, food sources, trophic composition, and energy distribution of benthic food webs in three study areas in the northeastern Chukchi Sea (i.e., Klondike, Burger, and Statoil, as part of the Chukchi Sea Environmental Studies Program) were compared using stable isotope analysis and bomb calorimetry. Food web length (four trophic levels), food sources, and linear models of food webs were comparable among areas. Marked differences in food web structure were observed when trophic levels were quantified by benthic biomass and abundance. High proportions of biomass and abundance of trophic level 3 taxa at Burger were attributed to high deposition of refractory material. High proportions of trophic level 1 and 2 taxa at Klondike and Statoil reflected availability of fresh material. Burger could potentially present a rich foraging ground for some benthic predators due to especially high benthic prey energy densities. Findings emphasize that marine food webs can vary on small spatial scales in accordance with hydrographic conditions, particularly when quantitative trophic level distribution is considered. |
author2 |
Blanchard, Arny Horstmann-Dehn, Larissa Iken, Katrin |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Tu, Kelley Lannon |
spellingShingle |
Tu, Kelley Lannon Small-scale variability in benthic food webs in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea |
author_facet |
Tu, Kelley Lannon |
author_sort |
Tu, Kelley Lannon |
title |
Small-scale variability in benthic food webs in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea |
title_short |
Small-scale variability in benthic food webs in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea |
title_full |
Small-scale variability in benthic food webs in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea |
title_fullStr |
Small-scale variability in benthic food webs in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Small-scale variability in benthic food webs in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea |
title_sort |
small-scale variability in benthic food webs in the northeastern chukchi sea |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11122/4590 |
geographic |
Arctic Chukchi Sea |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Chukchi Sea |
genre |
Arctic Chukchi Chukchi Sea |
genre_facet |
Arctic Chukchi Chukchi Sea |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/11122/4590 Program in Marine Science and Limnology |
_version_ |
1766338267125383168 |