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Ten years after: krill as indicator of changes in the macro-zooplankton communities of two Arctic fjords

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Abstract

A macro-zooplankton study from 1996 was repeated in 2006 and focused on euphausiid species as indicators of advection and warming effects in Kongsfjorden, West Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The influence of warmer Atlantic water in Kongsfjorden was indicated by the findings of three additional euphausiid species of typically Atlantic origin, relative to the previous study 10 years ago. The predominant presence of Thysanoessa inermis in Hornsund suggested persisting cold conditions in this more southerly, but more Arctic influenced fjord. In this species, moult stage analysis showed that trophic effects can override temperature forcing. Histology and lipid analysis suggest that reproductive activity should be monitored as an indication of warming and possibly a shift in food web composition.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for many discussions and support of Drs. Monika Kedra, Slawek Kwasniewski, Josef Wiktor (chief scientist) of IOPAS, Sopot, Poland. The cruise with RV Oceania to the Spitsbergen fjords is unforgettable and the Polish hospitality and expert support by our friends and colleagues on board, Captain Marian Grzech and his crew was overwhelming. Professor Ralph Lucius and his team kindly provided histological expertise of the Anatomical Institute of the University of Kiel, Germany. The research was supported by the ArctEco Responsive Mode Project within the European Network of Excellence MarBEF (marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning). The very constructive criticism of the reviewers is highly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Ostkaje 1118, 27498, Helgoland, Germany

    Friedrich Buchholz & Cornelia Buchholz

  2. Institute of Oceanology PAS, Powstancow Warszawy 55, PO Box 68, 81-712, Sopot, Poland

    Jan Marcin Weslawski

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  1. Friedrich Buchholz
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  2. Cornelia Buchholz
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  3. Jan Marcin Weslawski
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Correspondence to Friedrich Buchholz.

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Buchholz, F., Buchholz, C. & Weslawski, J.M. Ten years after: krill as indicator of changes in the macro-zooplankton communities of two Arctic fjords. Polar Biol 33, 101–113 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-009-0688-0

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