Unusually High Sea Ice Cover Influences Resource Use by Benthic Invertebrates in Coastal Antarctica
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Unusually high sea ice cover influences resource use by benthic invertebrates in coastal Antarctica Loïc N. MICHEL, Philippe DUBOIS, Marc ELEAUME, Jérôme FOURNIER, Cyril GALLUT, Philip JANE & Gilles LEPOINT Contact: [email protected] BASIS 2017 Annual Meeting – 03-04/05/2017 – Utrecht, The Netherlands Context: sea ice in Antarctica Antarctic littoral is circled by a fringe of sea ice (up to 20 millions km2) Sea ice is a major environmental driver in Antarctica, influences ▪ Air/Sea interactions ▪ Water column mixing ▪ Light penetration ▪ Organic matter fluxes ▪ … Sea ice is highly dynamic Sea ice hosts sympagic organisms Image: NASA Context: sea ice in Antarctica Sympagic algae: Mostly diatoms Form thick mats Filaments up to several cm Source: Australian Antarctic Division Seasonal patterns of sea ice cover Source: NOAA Austral winter Austral summer Normal cycle: Thick sea ice cover Thinning and breakup of sea ice Release of sympagic material High productivity events Climate change and sea ice cover West Antarctic T° Peninsula Ice cover T° East Antarctica Ice cover Turner et al. 2005 Int J Climatol 25: 279-294 (Data 1971-2000) Parkinson & Cavalieri 2012 Cryosphere 6: 871-880 Study site: Dumont d’Urville station Austral summer 2007-08 East Antarctica, Adélie Land Petrels Island Study site: Dumont d’Urville station Austral summer 2007-08 Austral summer 2013-14 East Antarctica, Adélie Land Petrels Island 2013-2015: Event of high spatial and temporal sea ice coverage No seasonal breakup during austral summers 2013-14 and 2014-15 Study site: Dumont d’Urville station Time of sampling : Austral summer 2014-15 This is the sea (Please trust me) Objectives How will Antarctic communities respond to such environmental changes? How could increased sea ice cover impact benthic food webs? Objectives How will Antarctic communities respond to such environmental changes? How could increased sea ice cover impact benthic food webs? Use of stable isotope ratios to identify resources supporting dominant benthic invertebrates (primary consumers & omnivores) Quantification of relative importance of 4 producers / organic matter pools Objectives How will Antarctic communities respond to such environmental changes? How could increased sea ice cover impact benthic food webs? 1. Sympagic algae Use of stable isotope ratios to identify resources supporting dominant benthic invertebrates (primary consumers & omnivores) Quantification of relative importance of 4 producers / organic matter pools: 1) Suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM) 2. Suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM) Objectives How will Antarctic communities respond to such environmental changes? How could increased sea ice cover impact benthic food webs? 3. Benthic brown algae Himantothallus grandifolius Objectives How will Antarctic communities respond to such environmental changes? How could increased sea ice cover impact benthic food webs? 4. Benthic biofilm (heterogeneous mix of microalgae, amorphous material and detrital items) Material & methods: sampling Hand collection SCUBA diving under fast ice Material & methods: analysis University of Liège’s setup: Vario MICRO cube EA coupled to an Isoprime 100 IRMS Results: isotopic biplot 1 0 F o o d ite m s S P O M B io film H im a n to th a llu s b la d es S y m p a g ic a lg a e 8 ) ‰ ( N 6 5 1 4 2 -2 5 -2 0 -1 5 -1 0 1 3 C (‰ ) Results: isotopic biplot 1 0 Perkinsiana sp. F o o d ite m s S P O M B io film H im a n to th a llu s b la d es S y m p a g ic a lg a e 8 P o lych a e te s H a rm o th o e sp . F la b e llig e ra m u n d a ta Harmothoe sp. P o lyc irru s sp . P e rk in sia n a sp . ) ‰ ( N 6 5 1 Flabelligera mundata 4 2 -2 5 -2 0 -1 5 -1 0 1 3 C (‰ ) Results: isotopic biplot 1 0 Trophon longstaffi F o o d ite m s S P O M B io film H im a n to th a llu s b la d es S y m p a g ic a lg a e 8 P o lych a e te s H a rm o th o e sp . F la b e llig e ra m u n d a ta P o lyc irru s sp . P e rk in sia n a sp . ) M o llu scs ‰ ( T ro p h o n lo n g s ta ffi N 6 5 1 M a rsen io p sis sp . L a te rn u la e llip tic a A d a m u ssiu m c o lb e c k i Marseniopsis sp. 4 2 Adamussium colbecki -2 5 -2 0 -1 5 -1 0 1 3 C (‰ ) Results: isotopic biplot 1 0 HeterocucumisF o o d ite msps . S P O M B io film H im a n to th a llu s b la d es S y m p a g ic a lg a e P o lych a e te s 8 seastar Odontaster validus H a rm o th o e sp . Odontaster validus is found throughout Antarctica and the F la b e llig e ra m u n d a ta Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, South Orkney Sterechinus neumayeri Islands, South Sandwich Islands , South Georgia Island, Shag Rocks, Marion and Prince Edward Islands, and Bouvet Island at P o lyc irru s sp . depths from 0 to 914 meters [7,10,11,12,14]. O. validus is the most abundant seastar in the shallow shelf waters of Antarctica and is P e rk in sia n a sp . most abundant from 15 to 200 meters [9]. O. validus has a broad disc and short arms tapering to blunt tips [7]. O. validus has been ) collected at sizes up to seven centimeters in radius from its center to the tip of an arm [7,11]. O. validus varies in color includingM darko llu scs ‰ brown, purple, purple-red, orange, red-orange, red, brick red, dark ( [7,11,14] carmine, and pink; it may have light colored arm tips . O. validus has a characteristic position with its arm tips slightly raised T ro p h o n lo n g s ta ffi N 6 [7]. 5 1 M a rsen io p sis sp . O. validus is usually bright to dull red on the dorsal (abactinal) surface and yellowish white to pale pink on the ventral (actinal) L a te rn u la e llip tic a surface [16]. O. meridionalis is generally pale brown or yellowish white on the dorsal : surface and lighter on the ventral surface [16]. Color in both species can be highly variable and is not always reliable as a field character; the only sure way is to check the number of spines on the actinal plates [16]. A d a m u ssiu m c o lb e c k i Here's a juvenile and adult of OdontasterE c h in o d e rm s validus. Size-frequency distribution of O. validus can vary with location and is a reflection of the general level of O p h iu ra sp . productivity of a habitat: at McMurdo Station, their size and number decrease S te re c h in u s n e u m a ye ri 4 with depth; at Cape Evans, they are more numerous and generally smaller; and, at East Cape Armitage, they are less D ip la steria s b ru c ei numerous and very small [3]. O. validus is slow growing; well-fed individuals need O d o n ta ste r v a lid u s about nine years to reach thirty grams wet weight which is near the mean size of shallow-water individuals at McMurdo H e te ro c u c u m is sp . Station [3]. Based on its growth rate, collected sizes, and knowledge from other S ta u ro c u c u m is sp . seastars, O. validus may live beyond one hundred years of age, with very low turnover in a population [17]. Odontaster validus 2 -2 5 -2 0 -1 5 -1 0 27 1 3 C (‰ ) Results: isotopic biplot 1 0 F o o d ite m s S P O M B io film H im a n to th a llu s b la d es S y m p a g ic a lg a e 8 P o lych a e te s H a rm o th o e sp . F la b e llig e ra m u n d a ta P o lyc irru s sp . P e rk in sia n a sp . ) M o llu scs ‰ ( T ro p h o n lo n g s ta ffi N 6 5 1 M a rsen io p sis sp . L a te rn u la e llip tic a A d a m u ssiu m c o lb e c k i E ch in o d e rm s O p h iu ra sp . 4 S te re c h in u s n e u m a ye ri D ip la steria s b ru c ei O d o n ta ste r v a lid u s H e te ro c u c u m is sp . S ta u ro c u c u m is sp . 2 -2 5 -2 0 -1 5 -1 0 1 3 C (‰ ) Results - SIAR modelling Sympagic algae diet Suspended Particulate Organic Matter (SPOM) Contribution Contribution consumer to Benthic algae + Biofilm OV: O.