Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula
Pteropods (pelagic snails) are ubiquitous zooplankton in the Southern Ocean and abundant along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), one of the most rapidly warming regions on the planet. They are important prey for higher trophic levels, grazers of phytoplankton, and contribute to particulate orga...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
W&M ScholarWorks
2020
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593092014 https://doi.org/10.25773/v5-ncgj-wy28 https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/etd/article/6928/viewcontent/Thibodeau_vims_0261D_10078.pdf |
id |
ftwilliammarycol:oai:scholarworks.wm.edu:etd-6928 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftwilliammarycol:oai:scholarworks.wm.edu:etd-6928 2023-06-11T04:06:57+02:00 Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula Thibodeau, Patricia Susan 2020-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593092014 https://doi.org/10.25773/v5-ncgj-wy28 https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/etd/article/6928/viewcontent/Thibodeau_vims_0261D_10078.pdf English eng W&M ScholarWorks https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593092014 doi:10.25773/v5-ncgj-wy28 https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/etd/article/6928/viewcontent/Thibodeau_vims_0261D_10078.pdf © The Author http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Marine Biology Oceanography text 2020 ftwilliammarycol https://doi.org/10.25773/v5-ncgj-wy28 2023-05-11T17:36:09Z Pteropods (pelagic snails) are ubiquitous zooplankton in the Southern Ocean and abundant along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), one of the most rapidly warming regions on the planet. They are important prey for higher trophic levels, grazers of phytoplankton, and contribute to particulate organic and inorganic carbon export. Pteropods are heralded as bioindicators of ecosystem health due to the vulnerability of their aragonitic shells under ocean acidification conditions, which could greatly affect their abundances in the future. Despite their importance within Antarctic food webs, few studies have analyzed the effects of climate change on pteropod physiology and biogeography in the Southern Ocean. I utilized zooplankton net tows and sediment trap samples collected as part of the Palmer Antarctica Long Term Ecological Research (PAL LTER) program to determine long-term changes in pteropod biogeography and phenology (life history). I also conducted shipboard experiments on PAL LTER research cruises to analyze the effects of shifting temperature and food conditions on pteropod metabolism. Lastly, to examine WAP pteropod feeding ecology, I utilized high-throughput sequencing techniques and analyzed pteropod gut contents at an unprecedented taxonomic resolution. Pteropod populations along the WAP from 1993-2017 either remained stable (shelled pteropods) or increased (non-shelled pteropods) and were most strongly controlled by La Niña conditions the year prior, which led to warmer, ice-free waters. There was a weak relationship between pteropod abundance and carbonate chemistry, and no detectable long-term trend in carbonate chemistry parameters (i.e., aragonite saturation), thus ocean acidification is not presently a factor influencing WAP pteropod abundance. More open-water areas the year prior also increased growth rates of the shelled pteropod, Limacina helicina antarctica, and caused earlier time of appearance in the PAL LTER sediment trap. There was considerable interannual variability in the time of ... Text Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Limacina helicina Ocean acidification Southern Ocean W&M ScholarWorks Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Southern Ocean |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
W&M ScholarWorks |
op_collection_id |
ftwilliammarycol |
language |
English |
topic |
Marine Biology Oceanography |
spellingShingle |
Marine Biology Oceanography Thibodeau, Patricia Susan Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula |
topic_facet |
Marine Biology Oceanography |
description |
Pteropods (pelagic snails) are ubiquitous zooplankton in the Southern Ocean and abundant along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), one of the most rapidly warming regions on the planet. They are important prey for higher trophic levels, grazers of phytoplankton, and contribute to particulate organic and inorganic carbon export. Pteropods are heralded as bioindicators of ecosystem health due to the vulnerability of their aragonitic shells under ocean acidification conditions, which could greatly affect their abundances in the future. Despite their importance within Antarctic food webs, few studies have analyzed the effects of climate change on pteropod physiology and biogeography in the Southern Ocean. I utilized zooplankton net tows and sediment trap samples collected as part of the Palmer Antarctica Long Term Ecological Research (PAL LTER) program to determine long-term changes in pteropod biogeography and phenology (life history). I also conducted shipboard experiments on PAL LTER research cruises to analyze the effects of shifting temperature and food conditions on pteropod metabolism. Lastly, to examine WAP pteropod feeding ecology, I utilized high-throughput sequencing techniques and analyzed pteropod gut contents at an unprecedented taxonomic resolution. Pteropod populations along the WAP from 1993-2017 either remained stable (shelled pteropods) or increased (non-shelled pteropods) and were most strongly controlled by La Niña conditions the year prior, which led to warmer, ice-free waters. There was a weak relationship between pteropod abundance and carbonate chemistry, and no detectable long-term trend in carbonate chemistry parameters (i.e., aragonite saturation), thus ocean acidification is not presently a factor influencing WAP pteropod abundance. More open-water areas the year prior also increased growth rates of the shelled pteropod, Limacina helicina antarctica, and caused earlier time of appearance in the PAL LTER sediment trap. There was considerable interannual variability in the time of ... |
format |
Text |
author |
Thibodeau, Patricia Susan |
author_facet |
Thibodeau, Patricia Susan |
author_sort |
Thibodeau, Patricia Susan |
title |
Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula |
title_short |
Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula |
title_full |
Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula |
title_fullStr |
Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula |
title_full_unstemmed |
Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula |
title_sort |
environmental controls on pteropod ecology and physiology along the western antarctic peninsula |
publisher |
W&M ScholarWorks |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593092014 https://doi.org/10.25773/v5-ncgj-wy28 https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/etd/article/6928/viewcontent/Thibodeau_vims_0261D_10078.pdf |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Southern Ocean |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Limacina helicina Ocean acidification Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Limacina helicina Ocean acidification Southern Ocean |
op_source |
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects |
op_relation |
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593092014 doi:10.25773/v5-ncgj-wy28 https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/etd/article/6928/viewcontent/Thibodeau_vims_0261D_10078.pdf |
op_rights |
© The Author http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.25773/v5-ncgj-wy28 |
_version_ |
1768379243027234816 |