Different oceanographic regimes in the vicinity of the Antarctic Peninsula reflected in benthic nematode communities

Marine free-living nematode communities were studied at similar depths (similar to 500 m) at two sides of the Antarctic Peninsula, characterised by different environmental and oceanographic conditions. At the Weddell Sea side, benthic communities are influenced by cold deep-water formation and seaso...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLOS ONE
Main Authors: Hauquier, Freija, Duran Suja, Laura, Gutt, Julian, Veit-Köhler, Gritta, Vanreusel, Ann
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2015
Subjects:
Biology and Life Sciences
OLIGOTROPHIC LAKE KONIGSSEE
NATIONAL-PARK BERCHTESGADEN
NORTHWESTERN WEDDELL SEA
SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS
GLOBAL CLIMATE-CHANGE
MARGINAL ICE-ZONE
DEEP-SEA
SCOTIA SEA
MEIOFAUNA DISTRIBUTION
NORTHEAST ATLANTIC
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Weddell Sea
Drake Passage
Scotia Sea
South Shetland Islands
Weddell
Antarc*
Northeast Atlantic
Sea ice
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/6983998
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-6983998
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0137527
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/6983998/file/6984009
Description
Summary:Marine free-living nematode communities were studied at similar depths (similar to 500 m) at two sides of the Antarctic Peninsula, characterised by different environmental and oceanographic conditions. At the Weddell Sea side, benthic communities are influenced by cold deep-water formation and seasonal sea-ice conditions, whereas the Drake Passage side experiences milder oceanic conditions and strong dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This resulted in different surface primary productivity, which contrasted with observed benthic pigment patterns and varied according to the area studied: chlorophyll a concentrations (as a proxy for primary production) were high in the Weddell Sea sediments, but low in the surface waters above; this pattern was reversed in the Drake Passage. Differences between areas were largely mirrored by the nematode communities: nematode densities peaked in Weddell stations and showed deeper vertical occurrence in the sediment, associated with deeper penetration of chlorophyll a and indicative of a strong benthopelagic coupling. Generic composition showed some similarities across both areas, though differences in the relative contribution of certain genera were noted, together with distinct community shifts with depth in the sediment at all locations.

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