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Distribution and composition of macrozoobenthic communities along a Victoria-Land Transect (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

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Abstract

The Victoria-Land Transect project onboard the Italian research vessel “Italica” in February 2004, was a large-scale attempt to obtain benthic samples of smaller macrozoobenthic specimens systematically along a latitudinal and a depth transect along the Victoria-Land coast. Data presented from this survey are based on Rauschert dredge samples, which were taken at four areas at depth ranging from 84 to 515 m. A cluster analysis based on relative numbers of abundance was performed and demonstrated a change in community structure depending on the location along the latitudinal transect. A change in community structure with depth was not recorded. Dominant taxa of the Ross Sea fauna along the Victoria-Land coast were the Arthropoda (65.7%), followed by Annelida (20.7%), Mollusca (9.6%) and Echinodermata (2.5%). Total number of abundance decreased with depth with an exception at Cape Russell, whereas a trend in biomass was not documented. Abundance and biomass proportions of major taxa changed gradually along the latitudinal transect.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the crew of RV “Italica” for their help and their efficiency at sea, and express their sincere thanks to Prof. R. Cattaneo Vietti for the invitation to participate at and his support during the 19th expedition of the PNRA(S.C.r.l.). Dr. M. Chiantore was an inexhaustible source of information and aid during the organisation of the cruise and on board of RV “Italica”. We are also grateful to Dr. S. Gatti for logistics planning and her help taking samples during the cruise. The German Science Foundation (DFG) provided travelling funds to the principal author (Br 1121/23-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Animal Ecology, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Am Alten Hafen 26, 27568, Bremerhaven, Germany

    Peter Rehm, Wolf E. Arntz & Olaf Heilmayer

  2. National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, European Way, SO14 3ZH, Southampton, UK

    Sven Thatje

  3. Zoologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Angelika Brandt

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  1. Peter Rehm
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  2. Sven Thatje
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  3. Wolf E. Arntz
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  5. Olaf Heilmayer
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Correspondence to Peter Rehm.

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Rehm, P., Thatje, S., Arntz, W.E. et al. Distribution and composition of macrozoobenthic communities along a Victoria-Land Transect (Ross Sea, Antarctica). Polar Biol 29, 782–790 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-006-0115-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-006-0115-8

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