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Hydroid assemblages from the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica): environmental factors behind their spatial distribution

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Abstract

Although scientific knowledge about the biodiversity of Antarctic benthic hydrozoans has considerably increased in recent years, little is known about their spatial distribution and underpinning factors. Trying to contribute to filling this gap, benthic hydroid spatial distribution in the Bellingshausen Sea (Southern Ocean) was studied. Samples were collected at 32 stations at depths between 86 and 3,304 m during Spanish Antarctic expeditions in 2003 and 2006. Sediments and bottom water properties were analyzed using an USNEL-type box corer and a Neil Brown Instrument System Mark III CTD, respectively. Forty species were reported (Acryptolaria sp., Stegopoma plicatile, Staurotheca dichotoma having the highest percentages of occurrence), representing ca. 19 % of the species richness of the known benthic hydroid fauna of the Southern Ocean. Three well-defined assemblages (shallow, deep and transitional) were established based on significant differences in species occurrence. Benthic hydroid spatial distribution in the Bellingshausen Sea seems to be controlled mainly by depth and substrate (most hydrozoan species are epibiotic), by species dispersal abilities and by species resilience to changing hydrodynamic conditions. The level of species richness found in the present study, compared with other Antarctic areas, gives support to arguments stated by authors against the idea that the Bellingshausen Sea is “a benthos desert” controlled by oligotrophic conditions and intense iceberg traffic.

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Acknowledgments

The ‘BENTART-03’ cruise was included within the Project REN2003-01881/ANT supported by the Spanish MCYT funds. The ‘BENTART-06’ cruise was funded by the Antarctic Program CGL2004-21066-E of the Spanish Government. The faunal studies were supported by the Spanish MEC, MCYT and MCI and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funds coming from the projects: REN2001-1074/ANT, REN2003—01881/ANT, GLC2004-01856/ANT, CGL2004-04684/ANT and CTM2009-11128ANT. We would like to express our thanks to the crew and UTM technicians of the RV ‘Hespérides’ for their help in collecting samples, to Dr. Calder for his proposals and help with the English language, and Sanjay Giany, native English teacher, for the revision of the manuscript.

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  1. Departamento de Zoología, Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva (ICBiBE), Universidad de Valencia, Apdo. Correos 22085, 46071, Valencia, Spain

    Álvaro L. Peña Cantero

  2. Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    M. Eugenia Manjón-Cabeza

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  1. Álvaro L. Peña Cantero
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Correspondence to M. Eugenia Manjón-Cabeza.

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300_2014_1557_MOESM1_ESM.xls

Taxa occurrence and environmental variables per station registered during BENTART 2003-2006 cruise. O%: Occurrence; S(%): Species richness; Lat: Latitude (°); Lon: Longitude (°); D: Depth (m); OD: Organic deposit (%); G: Gravel (%); S: Sand (%); M: Mud (%); R: Redox; T: Temperature (ºC); Sl: Salinity (ups); O2: Oxygen (mmol/L) (XLS 42 kb)

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Peña Cantero, Á.L., Manjón-Cabeza, M.E. Hydroid assemblages from the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica): environmental factors behind their spatial distribution. Polar Biol 37, 1733–1740 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1557-z

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