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Macrobenthos Communities of Cambridge, Mcbeth and Itirbilung Fiords, Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, Canada' ALEC E

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Macrobenthos Communities of Cambridge, Mcbeth and Itirbilung Fiords, Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, Canada' ALEC E ARCTIC VOL. 46, NO. 1 (MARCH 1993) P. 60.71 Macrobenthos Communities of Cambridge, McBeth and Itirbilung Fiords, Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, Canada' ALEC E. AITKEN* and JUDITH FOURNER3 (Received 2 January 1992; accepted in revised form 4 November 1992) ABSTRACT. Thirtyeight marine invertebrates, including molluscs, echinoderms, polychaetesand several minor taxa, havebeen added to the previously described benthic macrofauna inhabiting Cambridge, McBeth and Itirbilung fiords in northeastern Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. The fiords lie fully within the marine arctic zone and organisms exhibiting panarctic distributions constitute the majority of speciescollected from them. Macrobenthic associations recordedin the fiords are comparable, both with respectto species composition and habitat, to benthic invertebrate associationsoccurring on the Baffin Island continental shelf andin east Greenland fiords, reflecting the broad environmental tolerances of the organisms constituting the benthic associations.Deposit-feediig organisms dominatethe fiord macrobenthos, notably nuculanid bivalves, ophiuroid echinoderms and elasipod holothurians. The foraging and locomotory activities of these organisms may influence benthic communitystructure by reducing the abundance of sessile and/or tubiculous benthos. Key words: marine benthos, eastern Baffin Island, fiords, continental shelf, zoogeography, ecology RfiSUMfi. Trente-huit invedbrts marins, y compris des mollusques, des khinodermes, des polychhtes et divers taxons mineurs ont et6 ajoutes a la macrofaune benthique dkrite prkedemment habitant les fjords Cambridge, McBeth et Itirbilung dans le nord-est de la terre de Baffin situ& dans les Temtoires du Nord-Ouest au Canada.Les fjords sontsituts entihrement dans la zone arctique marineet des organismes affchant une distribution panbode constituent la majorit6des eswsrecueillies dans cesfjords. Les associations macrobenthiquesrelevks dans les fjords sont comparables, sur le plan de la composition comme sur celui de l'habitat, aux associations d'invert6brBs benthiquesque l'on trouve sur le plateau continental de la terre de Baffin et dans les fjords du Groenlandoriental, ce qui reflhtela grande toltrance environnementale des organismes formant les associations benthiques. Les organismes quise nourrissent sur le fond dominentle macrobenthos des fjords, en particulier les nucules, lesophiurides et les holothuries Blasipodes. Les activitts de paturage et de locomotion de ces organismes peuvent influencer la structure de la communaute5 benthique en rauisant l'abondance du benthos sessile et/ou tubicole. Mots clts: benthos marin, terre de Baffin orientale, fjords, plateau continental, ZoogBographie, kologie Traduit pour le journal par NBsida Loyer. INTRODUCTION PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT The benthic macrofauna inhabiting the fiords of eastern Baffm The physical environmentof eastern Canadian arctic fiords Island has been the subject of several recent studies (Aitken differs significantly from the fiord environments of western et al., 1988; Dale et al., 1989; Syvitski et al., 1989). This study North America and Europe. The restricted circulation and focuses on the benthic macrofauna of Cambridge, McBeth andassociated low levels of dissolved oxygen that characterize the Itirbilung -fiords recently described by Syvitski et al. (1989) latter (Syvitski et al., 1986) have not been observed in Baffin (Fig. 1). These authors conducted a reconnaissance benthic Island fiords (Dale et al., 1989). Circulation occurs through- sampling program within the fiords as part of the sedimentologyout depth, largely via isohaline circulation and wind-induced of ArcticFiords Experiment (SAFE) organized by the mixing (Gade et al., 1974; Perkin and Lewis, 1978; Neilsen Geological Survey of Canada (Syvitski and Schafer, 1985). and Ottesen-Hansen,1980; Gilbert, 1983); thus these watersare Syvitski et al. (1989) recognized several benthic macrofaunal oxygen rich (Table1) and supporta diverse benthic macrofauna. associations within these three fiords; these are, in order of The distributionof water masses within the fiords and over depth,the PortZandia association(mean depth 55 m),the the continental shelfof eastern Baffii Island directly influences Onuphid association (mean dep~272 m) and the Maldanid the distribution of arctic marine invertebrates (Grainger,1954, association (mean depth 418 m). 1955; Macpherson, 1971; Lubinsky, 1980). Severaldistinct The work of Curtis (1972) and Dale et al. (1989) indicates water masses occur along the eastern Baffin Island coast. A that diverse mollusc, polychaete and echinoderm populations,seasonally variable shallow water mass develops in July and as well as a variety of minor phyla, inhabitcanadian arctic fiords. August from the mixing of Baffin Current water with freshwater In light of this information, the authors reexamined the benthic from rivers and melting sea ice. The temperatureof this water material collected from Cambridge, McBethand Itirbilung fiords mass ranges from0°C to 8°C and the salinity ranges from less by Syvitskiet al. (1989) with the goalto 1) refine the systematic than 2Ooh to 3Ooh (Ellis, 1960; Fissel et al., 1981). This study of the benthic organisms in the collectionsand 2) to further shallow water mass develops to depths of 5-60 m within the our understanding of the zoogeography and ecology of benthic fiords (Gilbert, 1978; Trites, 1985) and 50-100 m depth across organisms inhabiting the fiords and continental shelf of Baffin the continental shelf (Ellis,1960; Fissel et al., 1981). The near- Island. As a result of this research, 15 species of molluscs, shore habitat is defined to be those areas influenced by this 4 species of echinoderms, 17 species of polychaetes, a sponge, seasonally variable shallow water mass. an ascidian, a sipunculid and a priapulid have been added to The Baffin Island Current lies below the shallow surface water the benthic macrofauna described previously from Cambridge,mass. It is formed by cold, low-salinity water (-1.8"C to McBeth and Itirbilung fiords. 1.8"C; < 30.0-34So/bo; Dunbar, 1951; Meunch, 1971) that lSedimentology of Arctic Fiords Experiment (SAFE) contribution number 37 *Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institut Maurice Lamontagne, C.P. 1O00, 850 Route de la Mer, Mont-Joli, Quebec, Canada G5H 324; present address: Department of Geography, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N OW0 31nvertebrate Zoology Division, Annelid Section, Canadian Museum of Nature, Pd. Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIP 6P4 @The Arctic Institute of North America EASTERN BAFFIN ISLAND MARINE BENTHOS / 61 flows southward at depthsof 100-300 m across the continental The Greenland Currentflows below theBaEn Island Current. shelf of eastern Baflh Island. This water mass is of Atlantic It is a relatively warm, saline water mass (0-2.00C, 34.2-35960; originand enters Baffin Bayvia Davis Strait, where it is Bailey, 1957; Meunch, 1971) that flows southward at depths modified by cooling and mixing with surface runoff in north- of 300-1300 m across the outer continental shelfand slope of eastern Baffin Bay,or it is modified by cooling and freshening eastern Baffin Island. This water origjnatm in the Atlantic Ocean within the Arctic Ocean priorto entering BaffinBay via Smith, and is advected north via Davis Strait into Baffin Bay by the Jonesand Lancaster sounds (Meunch, 1971). Trites (1985) West Greenland Current. Here the Greenland Current water reported Baffii Island Current water at depths as great asm 325 mixes withBaflin Island Current water and loses heat as it flows in Baffin Island fiords. The inner shelf habitat is defined to besouthward along the Baffin Island coast. Greenland Current those areas influenced by the Baffin Island Current. waters enter Baffin Island fiords where sill depths permit, 85"N 80"N 85"N 75"N 70"N I I I I Arctic Ocean fl KEISER FRANZ JOSEPH k 20"W 30"W Greenland 40"W 55"N 50"W 62 / A.E. AITKEN and J. FOURNIER TABLE 1. Physical parameters of the fiords studied Dissolved oxygen FiordlengthMaximum depthOuter sill depthLargetidalrange (mL.L") Fiord oun) (m) (m) (m) Date (D/M/Y) Surfacea Bottomb 61 708 Cambridge 61 439 1.8 22-23/09/82 8.16 5.00 20-24/09/83 8.78 5.61 8.78 20-24/09/83 McBeth 249 93 563 1.2 18-19/09/825.29 8.39 29/09-02/10/834.98 8.74 Itirbilung 55 Itirbilung 249 435 1.2 5.8717/09/82 8.38 25-29109183 8.82 6.33 *From 0 to 5 m depth. bWithin 20 m of the bottom. Source: Trites et al., 1983; Petrie and Trites, 1984; and Syvitski et al., 1989. forming a warmer bottom layer at the greatest depths in the TABLE 2. Distribution of sampling effort for macrobenthos during fiords (Trites, 1985). The outer shelf habitat is defined to be C.S.S. Hudson cruise 83-028 in Cambridge (CA), McBeth (MC) and those areas influenced by the Greenland Current. Itirbilung (IT)fiords, Baffin Island, Northwest Territories Mixing of arctic and Atlantic water masses occurs across a broad front extending from Padloping Island(67"N) on eastern Total Total Grab Si2tiOIl abundancea Photo Station abundancea Baffin Island to Thule on western Greenland (Fig. 1). (7TN) Benthicassociation CA MC IT (no:m-3 CAMC IT(no:m-3 The region occupied by waters of mixed arctic and Atlantic Portlundia 4 7 635698 4 origin is known as the subarctic marine zone (Dunbar, 1951). Onuphid6 2398 11 2 578 The boundary between subarctic and boreal waters is established3017Maldanid 6 4 8 3 4 3 96 at the point of farthest penetration of arctic waters (Dunbar, 1951). The marine subarctic zone extends from Scotian the Shelf Total 1019 11 12 7 3 and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Hudson Strait and along the data were employed to calculate the relative abundanceof marine inver- coast of Baffin Island to Padloping Island. tebrate taxa in Tables 3, 5 and 7. METHODS AND MATERIALS individuals.m-2(Table 2). Thesedata were employed to calculate the relative abundance of marine invertebrate taxa In 1983,42 grab sample stations and20 bottom camera stations reported in this study. were occupied in Cambridge, McBeth and Itirbilung fiords The marine invertebrates recovered from Cambridge, McBeth between 20 September and 1 October during C.S.S.
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