Benthic Habitats in the Tikhaya Bight (The Hooker Island, Franz Josef Land)
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Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS Vol. 323, No. 1, 2019, pp. 3–15 10.31610/trudyzin/2019.323.1.3 УДК 574.591.5:574.5.52… (268.45) Benthic habitats in the Tikhaya Bight (the Hooker Island, Franz Josef Land) S.Y. Gagaev1*, S.D. Grebelny1, B.I. Sirenko1, V.V. Pot i n 1 and O.V. Savinkin2 1Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya Emb. 1, 199034, Saint Petersburg, Russia, e-mails: [email protected], [email protected] 2Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskij prospect 33, 119071, Moscow, Russia. ABSTRACT Benthic habitats of Tikhaya Bight (Hooker Island, Franz Josef Land, High Arctic) were studied by using SCUBA equipment (diving quantitative method) and Van Veen grabs. Three main communities have been described. A Gammarus setosus-macroalgae community, probably seasonal, developed above 5 meters depth, had a relatively low diversity with biomass 7.6±0.9 g/m2 and abundance 135±40 ind/m2; a mixed bivalves-amphipods-bryozoan community (Serripes groenlandicus, Mya truncata, Haploops laevis, Alcyonidium disciforme) occured in muddy bottoms with some interspersed boulders between 7 and 30 m depth; it included 101 taxons, had a relatively high biomass 152.3±114.2 g/m2 and abundance 1600±940 ind/m2. A bivalve-dominated community with Musculus ni- ger and Yoldia hyperborean inhabited depth of 67–72 m, included 38 taxons and was characterized by high density of abundance and biomass – 670±295 ind/m2 and 356.1±57.1 g/m2, respectively. Comparison with the previous data obtained 20 years ago at the depth 7–30 m, showed that, possibly, the retreat of the glacier under the influence of increasing temperature in the environment and increased runoff of melt water, washes away clay deposits which led to siltation of the bottom in the bay and caused degradation of kelp, which was partially replaced by inverte- brate communities inherent in silted soils. Keywords: benthic communities, community shifts, long-term monitoring, Franz Josef Land, Arctic Ocean Места обитания бентоса в бухте Тихая (о. Гукера, Земля Франца-Иосифа) С.Ю. Гагаев1*, С.Д. Гребельный1, Б.И. Сиренко1, В.В. Потин1 и О.В. Савинкин2 1Зоологический институт Российской академии наук, Университетская наб., 1, 199034, Санкт-Петербург, e-mails: [email protected], [email protected] 2Институт проблем экологии и эволюции Российской академии наук, Ленинский проспект, 33, 119071, Москва, Россия. РЕЗЮМЕ Места обитания бентоса в бухте Тихая (о. Гукера, Земля Франца-Иосифа, Арктика) были изучены с использованием легководолазного снаряжения (водолазным количественным методом) и дночерпа- теля Ван-Вина. Описаны три основных бентосных сообщества: вероятно сезонное сообщество амфи- под Gammarus setosus и относительно мелких макроводорослей, развивается на глубинах до 5 метров, со сравнительно низким видовым разнообразием – 6 таксонов, невысокой биомассой – 7.6±0.9 г/м2 и плотностью поселений – 135±40 экз/м2; смешанное сообщество двустворчатых моллюсков, амфипод и мшанок (Serripes groenlandicus, Mya truncatа, Haploops laevis, Alcyonidium disciforme), на заиленном грунте с редкими валунами в диапазоне глубин от 7 до 30 м, включающее в свой состав 101 таксон, дающее относительно высокую плотность поселений и биомассу – 1600±940 экз/м2 и 152.3±114.2 г/м2 соответ- ственно и сообщество, обитающее на глинисто-алевритовых грунтах, найденное на максимально об- следованных глубинах (67–72 м), имеющее в доминантах двустворчатых моллюсков Musculus niger и *Автор-корреспондент / Corresponding author 4 S.Y. Gagaev et al. Yoldia hyperborea, насчитывающее в своем составе 38 таксонов, характеризуется высокими плотностью поселений и биомассой – 670±295 экз/м2 и 356.1±57.1 г/м 2 соответственно. Сравнение наших данных с предыдущими, полученными на глубинах 7–30 м 20-ю годами ранее, показало, что, возможно, происхо- дящее под воздействием повышающейся температуры среды отступление ледника и сток талых вод, вы- носят мелкие глинистые отложения, что приводит к заилению дна бухты и вызывает деградацию лами- нарий, которые частично заменяются на сообщества беспозвоночных, присущие заиленным грунтам. Ключевые слова: бентосные сообщества, изменения в сообществах, многолетний мониторинг, Земля Франца-Иосифа, Северный Ледовитый океан INTRODUCTION on Harpacticoidea; Bushueva (1977), Tzvetkova (1977) on Amphipoda; Zimina and Lyubina (2009) Arctic Seas are experiencing long-term changes on benthic crustaceans; Grieg (1930; 1935), Gorbu- whether as a result of long-term cyclic climate fluctu- nov (1932a), Baranova (1977) on Echinodermata; ations, or as a result of the global warming trend. The Zezina (1977) on brachiopods; Zhiubikas (1977) on northernmost parts of the Arctic is suffering from im- sea anemones; Lukina (1977) on Foraminifera; etc. portant environmental and biotic changes (Golikov According to observations of A.N. Golikov and and Scarlato, 1989; Beuchel et al. 2006; Berge et al., V.G. Averincev (1971, 1977) in September–October 2009; Bluhm et al. 2009; Kędraet al. 2010), but due 1970, climatic conditions of Franz Joseph Land had to their remote location cannot be monitored easily. been extremely severe. Ice covered the sea for a most Franz Josef Land is the northernmost archipelago of the year. Near Victoria and Hayes Islands, in the from Eurasia (79°–82°N, 43°–67°E), situated in the middle of the archipelago, the sea had been free of ice NE Barents Sea. It consists of 191 islands (Grosvald cover for 1–1.5 months. In the north, at Rudolf Is- et al. 1973) and is currently included in the Russian land, pack ice was present all the year round, in sum- Arctic National Park. Although the Archipelago is mer more often in the form of moving ice fields. Bays not easily accessible, the knowledge of the benthic constantly had been under a continuous ice cover. At communities dates back to the end of the XIXth cen- the bottom, up to the depth of 2–3 m, the influence of tury (Riddley, 1881; Miers, 1881; Carpenter, 1898, a mobile pack ice was well defined. Deep furrow sin Waters 1900), with other studies covering the XXth ground produced by icebergs was distinctly marked century (Augener, 1913; Golikov and Averincev, down to 30 m depth. On the areas affected by the 1971, 1977; Golikov and Scarlato, 1977, 1989; Golik- mobile ice or icebergs the bottom communities were ov et.al., 1994) and even the XXIst century (Bluhm harshly disturbed. In summer 2013, we made an ex- et.al., 2009; Dahle et.al., 2009). The collected data pedition during an exceptionally warm year (from 27 still suggests that the diversity of the Archipelago July to 28 August) when there hadn’t been pack ice significantly exceeds those from many regions of the at all (Fig 1A–C). Satellite observations showed that Canadian and near-Asian sector of the Arctic as it has in August the ice fields were present only in the far been detected by several studies focused on different north, more than 100 miles away from Rudolf Island. groups of organisms: Ushakov (1932), Antsulevich Here we aim to compare our data with those (1986) on hydroids; Annenkova (1932), Khlebovich from previous samplings at Tikhaya Bight at Hook- (1964), Averincev (1977a, 1977b) on Polychaeta; er Island in order to define possible changes in the Kluge (1964), Androsova (1977) on Bryozoa; Car- marine fauna of this bay after the important envi- penter (1898) on sea spiders (Pantopoda); Golikov ronmental changes that have occurred during last (1964) on Gastropoda and Scaphopoda; Minichev 50 years. G.P. Gorbunov described the qualitative (1977) on Gastropoda; Matveeva (1977), Milo- composition of the marine fauna of Tikhaya Bight by slavskaya (1977) on bivalves; Gorbunov (1932b), dredging and bottom trawling aboard the steam ice- Menshutkina (1977) on Decapoda; Chislenko (1977) breaker «Georgy Sedov» in 1929 (Annenkova, 1932; Fig. 1. A – The beach at the Rubini Rock above our transect in the Tikhaya Bight, August 1, 2013; extraordinarily warm year. Photo by O.N. Savinkin. B – The coast in the Tikhaya Bight in hydrological summer, September 31, 2014; the year with more ordinary weather conditions. Photo by Dr. M.V. Gavrilo. C – Epibenthal polychaete worm Brada villosa, on loose muddy sediments in the Tikhaya Bight, at the place of previous macrophyte community. Photo by O.N. Savinkin. Benthic habitats in Tikhaya Bight 5 6 S.Y. Gagaev et al. Gorbunov, 1932a, 1932b; Ushakov, 1932). A second land (Fig. 2). We tried to repeat the sampling at the expedition performed by Polish hydrobiologists used same sites sampled by Averintsev (1993, 1994). Sam- dredges that provided quantitative data on the ben- pling was performed using the pyramidal evaluation thos distribution and the first descriptions of bottom method of the quantitative benthos distribution (Go- communities (Weslawski and Zajaczkowski, 1992). likov et al., 1964; Golikov and Averincev, 1971, 1977; The third expedition performed in 1990, included Averincev et al., 1982; Averintsev, 1994). At first the Russian, Norwegian and Polish specialists, also with divers located the different habitats and organisms, dredging, provided a more accurate description of which afterwards were sampled quantitatively us- benthic communities at Tikhaya Bight and other ing frames, from the areas ranging from a few tens parts of the archipelago (Averintsev, 1992, 1993, of square meters (for the large and rare organisms) 1994; Luppova et al., 1994). to 0.1 m2 (for collection of the small and uniformly distributed organisms). Mega- and macrobenthos MATERIAL AND METHODS had been accounted by means of 10 quantitative samples by habitat, using the Gruzov’s toothed diver The sampling stations were situated along of a bottom-grab (frames of 0.25 m2 and 1 m2) (see its de- transect at Tikhaya Bight, eastwards of Rubini Rock, scription in Golikov et al., 1964). In addition, 3 qual- close to the neck connecting this rock to Hooker is- itative samples have been taken, and 6 samples with Fig. 2. Position of our transect in the Tikhaya Bight (the Hooker Island), examined earlier by Gorbunov in 1929, and in 1990th by Polish hydrobiologists and international expedition.