Life strategy, ecophysiology and ecology of seaweeds in polar waters

Abstract

Polar seaweeds are strongly adapted to the low temperatures of their environment, Antarctic species more strongly than Arctic species due to the longer cold water history of the Antarctic region. By reason of the strong isolation of the Southern Ocean the Antarctic marine flora is characterized by a high degree of endemism, whereas in the Arctic only few endemic species have been found so far. All polar species are strongly shade adapted and their phenology is finely tuned to the strong seasonal changes of the light conditions. The paper summarises the present knowledge of seaweeds from both polar regions with regard to the following topics: the history of seaweed research in polar regions; the environment of seaweeds in polar waters; biodiversity, biogeographical relationships and vertical distribution of Arctic and Antarctic seaweeds; life histories and physiological thallus anatomy; temperature demands and geographical distribution; light demands and depth zonation; the effect of salinity, temperature and desiccation on supraand eulittoral seaweeds; seasonality of reproduction and the physiological characteristics of C. Wiencke (&) AE U. H. Lü der

Impacts of gastropods on epiphytic microalgae on the brown macroalga Himantothallus grandifolius

“…Benthic marine communities along the northern half of the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) possess rich and diverse assemblages of macroalgae and invertebrates (De Broyer et al 2014). Predominantly brown but also many red macroalgae dominate shallow benthic communities on hard substrates along the WAP, often covering over 80% of the seafloor with standing biomass levels similar to those in temperate kelp forests (Wiencke & Amsler 2012, Wiencke et al 2014). Several species of large, perennial brown algae are particularly abundant.…”

“…These include Desmarestia menziesii J. Agardh and/or Desmarestia anceps Montagne that typically dominate biomass in shallower waters down to approximately 10–15 or 20 m, with Himantothallus grandifolius (A. Gepp & E.S. Gepp) Zinova dominating from 10–15 or 20 m down to 30 or 40 m, or sometimes even greater depths (Wiencke & Amsler 2012, Wiencke et al 2014). It is common to find one or two of these three species of brown algae covering nearly 100% of the benthos in some locations.…”

Effects of kelp canopy on underwater light climate and viability of brown algal spores in Kongsfjorden (Spitsbergen)

“…However, sporophytes were held for unequal periods of 0 to 6 days in the storage containers before spore release was induced, which might have led to an acclimation of the collected material to storage conditions as storage conditions were different from conditions at the natural growth site with respect to radiation conditions and biotic influences. Adjustments to light regime (Beale and Appleman 1971;Ramus et al 1976;Falkowski and LaRoche 1991;Brey 2009), nutrient availability (Aguilera et al 2002) or season (Wiencke et al 2007b) are well documented in seaweeds but less well for spores. Furthermore, Wiencke et al (2007a) suggested that parental adaptations might be mirrored in spores.…”

New Approach on Organizing the Monitoring of Macrophytobenthos in the Russian Arctic

“…Algae inhabiting the polar latitudes are characterized by the structural features and resilience that allow them to exist in harsh environmental conditions, in particular, they have strongly pronounced resistance to cold and darkness [2]. Despite these BRDEM-2019 peculiarities, their biomass is extremely low, and the climatic changes significantly affect the algal communities in the polar latitudes [3].…”