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Community structure and spatial distribution of benthic fauna in the Bellingshausen Sea (West Antarctica)

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Abstract

The structure and spatial distribution of the macrofauna community of the Bellingshausen Sea in the western sector of Antarctica was studied during the ‘BENTART–06’ oceanographic expedition. This is one of the least explored Antarctic seas. A total of 20 box cores were sampled at 11 stations ranging from 157 to 3,304 m depth, using an USNEL-type box corer (BC) dredge. Representatives of 25 higher taxa of invertebrates were collected. Deeper sampling sites were less rich in taxa (4–7 taxa), whereas the figures were higher at shallower sites (up to 17 taxa). Faunal density on the sea bottom revealed a horizontal spatial gradient from the western sites with extremely low figures (90 indiv./m2) towards the eastern ones with the highest figures (1,360 indiv./m2) close to the Antarctic Peninsula. Several abiotic factors (depth, redox, organic matter, carbonates and particle size of surficial sediments) were measured simultaneously on the sea floor to characterise the substrate preferences of the fauna. Positive correlations were found between the faunal distribution and a combination of depth, redox values, and organic matter content of sediments. This indicates decreasing availability of food in the deeper bottoms of the Bellingshausen Sea with a prevalence of depauperated bottoms dominated almost exclusively by a foraminiferans community.

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Acknowledgments

The ‘BENTART-06’ cruise was funded by the Antarctic Programme GLC2004-01856/ANT of the Spanish Government. We would like to express our thanks to the crew and UTM technicians of R/V ‘Hespérides’, who helped in the collection of samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dpto. Zoología y BCA, Universidad del País Vasco/EHU, Apdo. 644, 48080, Bilbao, Spain

    J. I. Saiz

  2. Dpto. Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Fac. Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013, Sevilla, Spain

    F. J. García

  3. Dpto. Biología Animal, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    M. E. Manjón-Cabeza

  4. Dpto. Bioloxía Animal, Universidade da Coruña, Alejandro da Sota 1, 15008 A, Coruña, Spain

    J. Parapar

  5. Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Universidad de Valencia/Fundación General Universidad de Valencia, Apdo. 22085, 46071, Valencia, Spain

    A. Peña-Cantero

  6. Biogéosciences, Université de Bourgogne, CNRS, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France

    T. Saucède

  7. Dpto. e Ecoloxía Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende s/n, 36200, Vigo, Spain

    J. S. Troncoso

  8. Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Punta del Apio, Apdo. 1552, 36200, Vigo, Spain

    A. Ramos

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  1. J. I. Saiz
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  2. F. J. García
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  3. M. E. Manjón-Cabeza
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  4. J. Parapar
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  5. A. Peña-Cantero
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  6. T. Saucède
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  7. J. S. Troncoso
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  8. A. Ramos
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Correspondence to J. I. Saiz.

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Saiz, J.I., García, F.J., Manjón-Cabeza, M.E. et al. Community structure and spatial distribution of benthic fauna in the Bellingshausen Sea (West Antarctica). Polar Biol 31, 735–743 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-008-0414-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-008-0414-3

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