Macrobenthic Mollusca of the Prince Gustav Channel, Eastern Antarctic Peninsula: An Area Undergoing Colonisation
Macrobenthic Mollusca of the Prince Gustav Channel, Eastern Antarctic Peninsula: An Area Undergoing Colonisation
In 2018 RRS James Clark Ross investigated the marine benthic biodiversity of the Prince Gustav Channel area which separates the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula from James Ross Island. The southern end of this channel had been covered by the Prince Gustav Ice Shelf until its collapse in 1995. Benthic samples were collected by an epibenthic sledge at six stations (200–1,200 m depth) in the channel and adjacent Duse Bay. In total 20,307 live collected mollusc specimens belonging to 50 species and 4 classes (Solenogastres, Bivalvia, Gastropoda, and Scaphopoda) were identified. The area may be characterised by it’s low species richness (ranging from 7 to 39 species per station) but high abundances (specifically of the Scaphopods with 11,331 specimens). The functional traits of the community were dominated by motile development and mobility type. Assemblage analyses of the molluscan species abundances within the Prince Gustav Channel stations sit distinct, with no pattern by depth or location. However, when bivalve assemblages were analysed with reference to the wider Weddell Gyre region (15 stations from 300 to 2,000 m depth), the Prince Gustav Channel sits distinct from the other Weddell Gyre stations with a higher dissimilarity between the deeper or more geographically distant areas. The Prince Gustav Channel is undergoing colonisation following the recent ice shelf collapse. With many Antarctic ice shelves threatened under climate warming, this area, with future monitoring, may serve as a case study of benthic faunal succession.
Anderson, Madeline P. B. C.
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Fenberg, Phillip B.
c73918cd-98cc-41e6-a18c-bf0de4f1ace8
Griffiths, Huw J.
990bbc67-f627-4984-a4a0-8bcff9baa56f
Linse, Katrin
74d7ddc0-74a1-4777-ac1d-3f39ae1935ad
8 December 2021
Anderson, Madeline P. B. C.
0a9db643-bec3-4706-ace9-697db5977d6c
Fenberg, Phillip B.
c73918cd-98cc-41e6-a18c-bf0de4f1ace8
Griffiths, Huw J.
990bbc67-f627-4984-a4a0-8bcff9baa56f
Linse, Katrin
74d7ddc0-74a1-4777-ac1d-3f39ae1935ad
Anderson, Madeline P. B. C., Fenberg, Phillip B., Griffiths, Huw J. and Linse, Katrin
(2021)
Macrobenthic Mollusca of the Prince Gustav Channel, Eastern Antarctic Peninsula: An Area Undergoing Colonisation.
Frontiers in Marine Science, 8.
(doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.771369).
Abstract
In 2018 RRS James Clark Ross investigated the marine benthic biodiversity of the Prince Gustav Channel area which separates the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula from James Ross Island. The southern end of this channel had been covered by the Prince Gustav Ice Shelf until its collapse in 1995. Benthic samples were collected by an epibenthic sledge at six stations (200–1,200 m depth) in the channel and adjacent Duse Bay. In total 20,307 live collected mollusc specimens belonging to 50 species and 4 classes (Solenogastres, Bivalvia, Gastropoda, and Scaphopoda) were identified. The area may be characterised by it’s low species richness (ranging from 7 to 39 species per station) but high abundances (specifically of the Scaphopods with 11,331 specimens). The functional traits of the community were dominated by motile development and mobility type. Assemblage analyses of the molluscan species abundances within the Prince Gustav Channel stations sit distinct, with no pattern by depth or location. However, when bivalve assemblages were analysed with reference to the wider Weddell Gyre region (15 stations from 300 to 2,000 m depth), the Prince Gustav Channel sits distinct from the other Weddell Gyre stations with a higher dissimilarity between the deeper or more geographically distant areas. The Prince Gustav Channel is undergoing colonisation following the recent ice shelf collapse. With many Antarctic ice shelves threatened under climate warming, this area, with future monitoring, may serve as a case study of benthic faunal succession.
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Published date: 8 December 2021
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Local EPrints ID: 471806
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/471806
ISSN: 2296-7745
PURE UUID: de8a0448-7291-43c2-85f6-f3deec9704f1
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Date deposited: 21 Nov 2022 17:31
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:34
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Author:
Madeline P. B. C. Anderson
Author:
Huw J. Griffiths
Author:
Katrin Linse
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