Distribution of Boeckella poppei (Mrázek, 1901) (Copepoda: Calanoida) on the Livingston Island, Antarctica

• Main Authors: Evtimova, Vesela, Pandourski, Ivan, Kenderov, Lyubomir
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: © Plovdiv University Press 2021
• Subjects: Antarctica; Livingston Island; Boeckella poppei; expansion of distribution areal; Bulgarian Antarctic Base; Antarctic; Austral; Hannah; Byers; Boeckella; Byers peninsula; Hannah Point; Perunika Glacier; Antarc*; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/4646968; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4646968

Livingston Island is the second largest island of the South Shetland Archipelago, Maritime Antarctica. Freshwater fauna in the area is scarcely studied. Previous records are limited and include habitats, which are free of permanent ice or snow cover during the austral summer. The calanoid Boeckella poppei was firstly recorded from the island in the 1990s, from the Todorina buza Lake. More recently, the species was also recorded form freshwater lakes on the Byers Peninsula, Western Livingston Island. During the 28th Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition, we confirmed the presence of B. poppei in the Todorina buza Lake. In addition, we recorded the calanoid in temporary pools (i) situated on the permafrost and formed after the retreat of the Perunika Glacier and (ii) at Hannah Point. In the newly- established habitats the species was very abundant. Our results suggest a considerable expansion in the distribution of B. poppei on the Livingston Island, likely owing to recent climate change and the resulting freeing of additional territories of permanent ice cover. 5th Balkan Scientific Conference on Biology, 15-19 April 2021, Plovdiv Bulgaria, Book of Abstracts, © Plovdiv University Press, 2021, eISBN 978-619-202-644-8