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Distribution and diversity of desmosomatid and nannoniscid isopods (Crustacea) on the Greenland–Iceland–Faeroe Ridge

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Abstract

The distribution and diversity of isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda; families Desmosomatidae Sars, 1897 and Nannoniscidae Hansen, 1916) was examined in Icelandic waters where a diversity of water masses (temperature range −0.9 to 12°C) occurs and the topography is characterized by the large and shallow Greenland–Iceland–Faeroe (GIF) Ridge extending across the North Atlantic in an east-west direction. Both families were species rich in the area, in total occurring with 34 species in 20 genera. Most of the species were restricted either to the north (10) or to the south (14) of the GIF Ridge, occurring either in cold (−0.8 to 2.8°C) or warm (>2°C) water masses. Five species were found on both sides of the Ridge, occurring at a wide range of temperatures (−0.9 to >4°C), while another five species extend across the GIF Ridge. Most species occurred in two and more water masses and the species north of the Ridge occurred usually within narrower temperature range than the species living south of the Ridge. The water masses in association with the Ridge seem to limit distribution of most species. Despite similar number of species occurring in the areas north and south of the Ridge, the areas differ considerably in diversity pattern with depth.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Torleiv Brattegard for his hospitality on board RV Håkon Mosby, MRI, Reykjavík, for the use of RV Bjarni Sæmundsson and the Fiskirannsóknastova, Torshavn, for the use of RV Magnus Heinason. We would like to thank Sigrún Haraldsdóttir and the staff of the Sandgerði Marine Centre for sorting the isopods. Ólafía Lárusdóttir kindly helped in making the maps and in designating the water masses. Stefanie Kaiser, Niel Bruce, Christoffer Schander and an anonymous reviewer improved the manuscript considerably with their constructive comments. Bente Stransky helped with the Primer analysis. Eric de Santos improved the English. We acknowledge grants received from the Icelandic Centre for Research, the University of Iceland Research Fund and the German Science Foundation (DFG) under contract No. Br 1121/28-1.

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  1. German Center of Marine Biodiversity Research (DZMB), c/o Biocentrum Grindel, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Saskia Brix

  2. Institute of Biology, University of Iceland, Aragata 9, 101, Reykjavík, Iceland

    Jörundur Svavarsson

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  1. Saskia Brix
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Correspondence to Saskia Brix.

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Brix, S., Svavarsson, J. Distribution and diversity of desmosomatid and nannoniscid isopods (Crustacea) on the Greenland–Iceland–Faeroe Ridge. Polar Biol 33, 515–530 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-009-0729-8

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