Oceanographic versus seafloor-habitat control of benthic megafaunal communities in the S.W. Ross Sea, Antarctica

Barry, James; Grebmeier, Jacqueline M.; Smith, James A; Dunbar, Robert B.

doi:10.1029/078ars21

Cited by 51 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Together, the evidence we collected indicates that a 'wasp-waist' food web structure occurs in the Ross Sea, in which on the one hand top-down controls are most important to the upper and middle trophic levels of the pelagic communities (as op posed to the benthic; Barry et al 2003, Pinkerton & Bradford-Grieve 2014, but which are largely uncoupled from the immense bottom-up resource that the Ross Sea's phytoplankton provide. On the other hand, bottomup control of primary production is driven by both irradiance and micronutrients (Smith et al 2014a) and is largely uncoupled from grazing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Owing to the position of our study area at the open-ocean edge of the Ross Sea Polynya, as well as the time of season, most of the phytoplankton biomass was likely provided by Phaeocystis, which appears to be largely ungrazed by crystal krill, unlike diatoms (Smith et al 2014a). Much of Phaeocystis sinks and sustains the Ross Sea benthic communities (Barry et al 2003) or is remineralized within the water column (Smith et al 2014a). Furthermore, the expected compositional changes in phytoplankton reflect a change from Phaeocystis dominance to diatom dominance after the abrupt decrease in Phaeocystis in late December (Smith et al 2014a), as well as the overall decrease in biomass of all phytoplankton.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Trophic cascades in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica: revisited

Ainley¹,

Ballard²,

Jones³

et al. 2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic cascades in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica: revisited

Ainley¹,

Ballard²,

Jones³

et al. 2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…This parameter is, however, more relevant in the results from analyses of 10 photographs pooled indicating that the large-scale bottom topography is more relevant for the biological patterns than local individual images. A good large-scale correlation between environmental parameters and the megabenthos is also known from the deeper Ross Sea between 270 and 1170 m wd (Barry et al, 2003). In the Weddell Sea, such a relationship appears to be only weak (Gutt and Starmans, 1998).…”

Section: Benthic Habitats and Environmental Driversmentioning

confidence: 97%

The influence of the geomorphological and sedimentological settings on the distribution of epibenthic assemblages on a flat topped hill on the over-deepened shelf of the western Weddell Sea (Southern Ocean)

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Epibenthos communities play an important role in the marine ecosystems of the Weddell Sea. Information on the factors controlling their structure and distribution are, however, still rare. In particular, the interactions between environmental factors and biotic assemblages are not fully understood. Nachtigaller Hill, a newly discovered seabed structure on the over-deepened shelf of the northwest Weddell Sea (Southern Ocean), offers a unique site to study these interactions in a high-latitude Antarctic setting. Based on highresolution bathymetry and georeferenced biological data, the effect of the terrain and related environmental parameters on the epibenthos was assessed. At Nachtigaller Hill, both geomorphological and biological data showed complex distribution patterns, reflecting local processes such as iceberg scouring and locally amplified bottom currents. This variability was also generally reflected in the variable epibenthos distribution patterns although statistical analyses did not show strong correlations between the selected environmental parameters and species abundances. By analysing the interactions between environmental and biological patterns, this study provides crucial information towards a better understanding of the factors and processes that drive epibenthos communities on the shelves of the Weddell Sea and probably also on other Antarctic shelves.

show abstract

“…The deposition site of the organic material determines the spatial distribution and composition of Antarctic benthic communities (Orejas et al, 2003;Thrush et al, 2006;Thatje et al, 2008). The redistribution of pelagic production, together with physical factors (e.g., iceberg scouring, anchor ice, resuspension) and the location of polynyas, appear to be the main factors controlling spatial variability in diversity patterns along the western coast of the Ross Sea (Barry et al, 2003;Thrush et al, 2006). As in the Arctic, the transport of reproductive forms by currents is likely an important factor in determining the species composition of the Antarctic shelf benthos.…”

Section: Impacts Of Advection On the Antarctic Benthosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Decoupling between production and deposition areas can make the habitat characteristics of the sea floor more important in shaping benthic community patterns than upper ocean processes (Barry et al, 2003). The deposition site of the organic material determines the spatial distribution and composition of Antarctic benthic communities (Orejas et al, 2003;Thrush et al, 2006;Thatje et al, 2008).…”

Section: Impacts Of Advection On the Antarctic Benthosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advection in polar and sub-polar environments: Impacts on high latitude marine ecosystems

Hunt

Drinkwater

Arrigo

et al. 2016

Progress in Oceanography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tWe compare and contrast the ecological impacts of atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns on polar and sub-polar marine ecosystems. Circulation patterns differ strikingly between the north and south. Meridional circulation in the north provides connections between the sub-Arctic and Arctic despite the presence of encircling continental landmasses, whereas annular circulation patterns in the south tend to isolate Antarctic surface waters from those in the north. These differences influence fundamental aspects of the polar ecosystems from the amount, thickness and duration of sea ice, to the types of organisms, and the ecology of zooplankton, fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Meridional flows in both the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans transport heat, nutrients, and plankton northward into the Chukchi Sea, the Barents Sea, and the seas off the west coast of Greenland. In the North Atlantic, the advected heat warms the waters of the southern Barents Sea and, with advected nutrients and plankton, supports immense biomasses of fish, seabirds and marine mammals. On the Pacific side of the Arctic, cold waters flowing northward across the northern Bering and Chukchi seas during winter and spring limit the ability of boreal fish species to take advantage of high seasonal production there. Southward flow of cold Arctic waters into sub-Arctic regions of the North Atlantic occurs mainly through Fram Strait with less through the Barents Sea and the Canadian Archipelago. In the Pacific, the transport of Arctic waters and plankton southward through Bering Strait is minimal.In the Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and its associated fronts are barriers to the southward dispersal of plankton and pelagic fishes from sub-Antarctic waters, with the consequent evolution of Antarctic zooplankton and fish species largely occurring in isolation from those to the north. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current also disperses biota throughout the Southern Ocean, and as a result, the biota tends to be similar within a given broad latitudinal band. South of the Southern Boundary of the ACC, there is a large-scale divergence that brings nutrient-rich water to the surface. This divergence, along with more localized upwelling regions and deep vertical convection in winter, generates elevated nutrient levels throughout the Antarctic at the end of austral winter. However, such elevated nutrient levels do not support elevated phytoplankton productivity through the entire Southern Ocean, as iron concentrations are rapidly removed to limiting levels by spring blooms in deep waters. However, coastal http://dx

show abstract

Oceanographic versus seafloor-habitat control of benthic megafaunal communities in the S.W. Ross Sea, Antarctica

Cited by 51 publications

References 48 publications

Trophic cascades in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica: revisited

Trophic cascades in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica: revisited

The influence of the geomorphological and sedimentological settings on the distribution of epibenthic assemblages on a flat topped hill on the over-deepened shelf of the western Weddell Sea (Southern Ocean)

Advection in polar and sub-polar environments: Impacts on high latitude marine ecosystems

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About