Spatial patterns and bryozoan biodiversity from subantarctic Falkland and South Georgia Islands 2014

Shackleton Scholarship Fund Report- Preliminary Results

Dr Blanca Figuerola http://bfiguerola.weebly.com/

Pictures: B. Figuerola

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Contents

Introduction...... 3

Methods...... 4

Preliminary results and future outcomes expected...... 5

Dissemination of the project...... 7

Acknowledgements...... 7

References...... 7

Annex...... 10

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Introduction

Essential baseline data on marine biodiversity and biogeography are still lacking for most of parts of the southwestern Atlantic, including the surrounding SO. These data are urgently required in order to monitor future changes in species composition in the context of climate change, the overexploitation of living resources and the establishment of invasive marine species (Orensanz et al., 2002; Kaiser et al., 2013). Among taxa of the southwestern Atlantic, the best-known benthic invertebrates are molluscs, echinoderms and cnidarians (Miloslavich et al., 2011). In contrast, bryozoan diversity is still scarcely studied up to now (Figuerola et al., 2014; Moyano, 1982, 1999; López Gappa, 2000). Surprisingly, bryozoans, colonial invertebrates, are abundant and important members of the benthic community, inhabiting from the shallow to the abyssal plains. Moreover, these are commonly effective colonizers of surfaces, thus representing a part of the epifauna on most rocky shores and blades of kelps and algae in shallow areas (Hayward, 1995). In particular, bryozoans of sub-Antarctic shelf habitats of Falkland and South Georgia Islands remain understudied (Hastings, 1943; Hayward, 1980; Bastida et al., 1992; Barnes, 2000; Barnes and De Grave, 2001) and new species continue to appear (e.g. Wright et al. 2007; Kuklinski and Barnes, 2009; Hayward and Winston, 2011). On the one hand, Falkland Islands is located on the Patagonian shelf and thus, outside the Polar Front. Interestingly, their southeastern coasts are influenced by cold nutrient-rich waters from Falkland Current (branch of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current) and the northwestern coasts by temperate waters from the Argentine Drift, leading to differences on biodiversity between both regions. On the other hand, the South Georgia Island, being part of the Scotia Arc archipelagos (tips of a subsurface mountain chain linking the Andes and the Antarctic Peninsula), is suggested by diverse authors as a transitional region between South America and Antarctica (e.g. Arntz et al., 2005; Barnes, 2005).

One of the main goals of this project is to improve knowledge of bryozoan species from these poorly known regions, providing new data on sub-Antarctic bryozoan biodiversity, their spatial patterns and their biogeographic links with neighbouring regions.

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Methods

The large marine collections from Falkland and South Georgia Islands of the local institutions (Shallow Marine Surveys Group, South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute and Falkland Islands Government fisheries department) were examined. Additionally, new data were obtained from samples collected through 6 diving surveys carried out in the Falkland Is (November- December 2014; Fig. 1-3). Sampling sites were georeferenced by GPS and depth was registered at each station.

Fig 1. Map of the Falkland and South Georgia Islands showing location of sampling sites.

Fig. 2. The SMSG Dive team at Falkland Islands.

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A B

C D

Fig. 3. A- C. The author collecting bryozoan samples and taking underwater photos. D. The common bryozoan species Cellaria malvinensis. Pictures: SMSG and B. Figuerola.

Samples collected were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible using binocular microscopy. Taxonomic identifications were made using existing literature: d’Orbigny (1842), Busk (1884), Waters (1904), Hastings (1943), López Gappa (1982), López Gappa and Lichtschein (1990), Hayward (1995), López de la Cuadra and García-Gómez (2000), Branch and Hayward (2005) and Hayward and Winston (2011).

Preliminary results and future outcomes expected

The main output from my visit was to produce of a bryozoan list for the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Islands. A total of 85 species of cheilostome bryozoans (351 samples), belonging to 31 families and 33 genera, were found within an area of the southwestern Atlantic between 49º and 54º S, and between 35º and 63º W (Fig. 4-5).

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A B

Reteporella magellensis Carbasea ovoidea Fig. 4. Bryozoan colonies. A. Reteporella magallensis. B: Carbasea ovoidea. Pictures: B. Figuerola.

Cellaria malvinensis Microporella hyadesi Beania magellanica

Menipea patagonica Reteporella magallensis Arachnopusia monoceros

Carbasea ovoidea Fenestrulina crystallina Membranipora cf membranacea

Fig. 5. Detail of different bryozoan colonies. Pictures: B. Figuerola.

With this proposed visit, I expect to publish a paper in peer-reviewed journal, describing bryozoan diversity and biogeography of these regions, which will be vital for contributing to the local knowledge of this phylum. Some literature data regarding bathymetric ranges and biogeographic distribution of the studied species will be obtained from the existing literature and as well as from the Antarctic Biodiversity Information Facility (ANTABIF;

6 www.biodiversity.aq) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility databases (GBIF; www.gbif.org).

In the future, we will explore the possibilities of continuing collaborative research with these institutions.

Dissemination of the project

Several press releases were issued and the project also made use of webs pages to promote the news of the research stay (see Annex). The results will be also disseminated via media: journals/popular science magazines (e.g. Penguin News), web pages (e.g. ub.edu/irbio) and social networks (e.g. Twitter).

Acknowledgements

I am most grateful to the Shackleton Scholarship Fund, the Falkland Island Government Fisheries Department, the Shallow Marine Surveys Group, and the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute for their financial support. I would like to thank Dr Paul Brewin for providing me with accommodation, office and lab space and internet at the Fisheries Department, Dr Paul Brickle for helping with the logistics during dives and Dr David Barnes for his valuable advice before and during my research stay. I am also grateful to the members of the SMSG, especially Steve Cartwright, for ship time and invaluable technical support during the dives cruises. The intertidal sampling was made possible with the assistance of Eva Visauta and Marine Quintin. Finally, I would like to thank the nice people of the Falkland Islands for their hospitality during my month here.

References

-Arntz, W.E., Thatje, S., Gerdes, D., Gili, J.M., Gutt, J., Jacob, U., Montiel, A., Orejas, C., Teixido, N. 2005. The Antarctic-Magellan connection: macrobenthos ecology on the shelf and upper slope, a progress report. Sci. Mar. 69, 237-269. -Barnes, D.K.A. 2000. Diversity, recruitment and competition on island shores at south-polar localities compared with lower latitudes: encrusting community examples. Hydrobiologia 440, 37-44. -Barnes, D.K.A. 2005. Changing chain: past, present and future of the Scotia Arc’s shallow benthic communities. In: W.E. Arntz, G.A. Lovrich and S. Thatje (eds.) The Magellan-Antarctic connection: links and frontiers at high southern latitudes. Sci. Mar. 69, 65-89.

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-Barnes, D.K.A. De Grave, S., 2001. Ecological biogeography of southern polar encrusting faunas. J. Biogeogr. 28, 359-365. -Bastida, R., Roux, A. Martinez, D. 1992. Benthic communities of the Argentine continental shelf. Oceanol. Acta, 15(6), 687-698. -Branch, M.L., Hayward, P.J. 2005. New species of cheilostomatous Bryozoa from subantarctic Marion and Prince Edward Islands. J. Nat. Hist. 39 (29), 2671-2704. -Busk, G. 1884. Report on the Polyzoa collected by H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873– 1876. Part 1. The Cheilostomata. Report on the scientific results of the voyage of HMS Challenger. Zoology 10 (30), 1-216. -d'Orbigny, A.D. 1841–1847. Voyage dans l'Amérique méridinale, 5, pt.4: Zoophytes, 7–28 (1847), Pl. 1,3,5 (1841), 2, 4, 6-3 (1842). Paris and Strasbourg. -Figuerola, B., Gordon, D.P., Polonio, V., Cristobo, J., Avila, C. 2014. Cheilostome bryozoan diversity from the southwest Atlantic region: is Antarctica really isolated? J. Sea Res. 85, 1-17. -Hastings, A.B. 1943. Polyzoa (Bryozoa). I. Scrupocellariidae, Epistomiidae, Farciminariidae, Bicellariellidae, Aeteidae, Scrupariidae. Discov. Rep. 32, 301-510. -Hayward, P.J. 1980. Cheilostomata (Bryozoa) from the South Atlantic. J. Nat. Hyst. 14, 701- 722. -Hayward, P.J. 1995. Antarctic Cheilostomatous Bryozoa. Oxford: Oxford University Press. -Hayward, P.J., Winston, J. E. 2011. Bryozoa collected by the United States Antarctic Research Program: new taxa and new records. J. Nat. Hist. 46 (37-38), 2259-2338. -Kaiser, S., Brandão, S.N., Brix, S., Barnes, D.K.A., Bowden, D.A., et al. (2013) Patterns, processes and vulnerability of Southern Ocean benthos: a decadal leap in knowledge and understanding. Mar. Biol. 160, 2295-2317. -Kuklinski, P., Barnes, D.K.A. 2009. A new genus and three new species of Antarctic cheilostome Bryozoa. Polar Biol. 32, 1251-1259. López Gappa, J.J. 1982. Bryozoa collected by the German Antarctic expedition 1980–81. 1. Flustridae. Meteor Forschungsergeb. Reihe D 35, 35-41. -López Gappa, J. J. 2000. Species richness of marine Bryozoa in the continental shelf and slope off Argentina (South -West Atlantic). Div. Distrib. 6(1), 15-27. López de la Cuadra, C.M., García Gómez, J.C. 2000. The cheilostomate Bryozoa (Bryozoa: Cheilostomatida) collected by the Spanish ‘Antártida 8611’ expedition to the Scotia Arc and South Shetland Islands. J. Nat. Hist. 34, 755-772. -López Gappa, J., Lichtschein, V. 1990. Los briozoos colectados por el B/I Shinkai Maru en la plataforma Continental Argentina, 1. Servicio de Hidrografia Naval, República Argentina 32. -Miloslavich, P., Klein, E., Díaz, J.M., Hernández, C.E., Bigatti, G., et al. 2011. Marine Biodiversity in the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts of South America: Knowledge and Gaps. PLoS ONE 6(1): e14631. 8

-Moyano, G. H. I. 1982. Magellanic Bryozoa: some ecological and zoogeographical aspects. Mar. Biol. 67, 81-96. -Moyano, G. H. I. 1999. Magellan Bryozoa: a review of the diversity and of the subAntarctic and Antarctic zoogeographical links. Sci. Mar. 63(1), 219-226. -Orensanz, J.M., Schwindt, E., Pastorino, G., Bortolus, A., Casas, G., Darrigran, G., Elías, R., López -Gappa, J. J., Obenat, S., Pascual, M., Penchaszadeh, P., Piriz, M. L., Scarabino, F., Spivak, E.D., Vallarino, E. A. 2002. No longer the pristine confines of the world ocean: a survey of exotic marine species in the southwestern Atlantic. Biol. Invasions. 4, 115-143. -Waters, A.W. 1904. Bryozoa. Résultats du Voyage du S.V. ‘Belgica’, Zoologie. Expedition Antarct. Belge 4, 1-114. -Wright, P.J., Hayward, P.J., Hughes, R.N. 2007. New species of Antarctothoa (Cheilostomata: Hippothoidae) from the Falkland Isles, South Shetland Isles and the Magellan Strait. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. UK 87, 1133-1140.

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Annex

Journals/Bulletins: -International Bryozoology Association Bulletin http://bryozoa.net/iba/files/IBA_Bull_10(3).pdf (page 3) http://bryozoa.net/iba/files/IBA_Bull_11(1).pdf (page 2)

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-Falkland Islands Newsletter (page 11) http://www.fiassociation.com/shopimages/pdfs/FIA%20NL%20107.pdf

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-Penguin News (page 4) http://www.penguin-news.com/index.php/the-paper/item/767-penguin-news-vol-26-no-18

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Websites: -IRBio website http://www.ub.edu/irbio/ENnoticia.php?id=240

Social networks: -DISTANTCOM project (facebook page): https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=823470921057915&id=2269421140441 35

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlancaFiguerola/status/471658204083290113

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