Abstract
A photographic seabed survey conducted off the Antarctic Peninsula region provided the opportunity to study spatial patterns, abundance and behaviour of the notothenioid benthic fish fauna. Overall, a total of 12,715 images taken with the Ocean Floor Observation System (OFOS) along 26 transects in three ecoregions (Joinville Island, Bransfield Strait and Drake Passage) were analysed. The fish fauna consisted of at least 34 species belonging to four families of both low-Antarctic and high-Antarctic origin. Nototheniids showed the highest relative abundance and species richness, followed by channichthyids, bathydraconids and artedidraconids. Direct in-situ observations in OFOS seabed images allowed descriptions of fish behaviour, such as aggregation of individuals (Notothenia coriiceps), specific body postures (Cygnodraco mawsoni and Cryodraco antarcticus) and parental care (Chaenodraco wilsoni, Chionodraco rastrospinosus, Pagetopsis macropterus and Trematomus hansoni). Fish density and species richness was primarily correlated with the occurrence of bryozoans, ascidians, and large cup-shaped sponges, providing a three-dimensional habitat suitable for fish settling, foraging, breeding and refuge from predators. Fish diversity was higher (a) off Joinville Island and in Bransfield Strait than in Drake Passage, where almost exclusively low-Antarctic species were recorded, and (b) between 100 and 600 m than at greater depths. Overall, the benthic fish fauna off the northern Antarctic Peninsula is zoogeographically composite and widespread, with well-structured spatial partitioning.
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Data availability
Raw count data of fish recorded in seabed images will be available in the PANGAEA repository.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the crew and scientific personnel aboard R/V Polarstern during the cruise ANT-XXIX/3 (PS81) off the Antarctic Peninsula for their valuable support during field activities. We are much indebted to Richard Eakin, who greatly contributed to the taxonomic identification of artedidraconids. The sampling of seabed images during the cruise was supported by grants AWI_PS81_03. JT Eastman was supported by National Science Foundation grant NSF ANT 04-36190.
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The study was financially supported by grants AWI_PS81_03 and NSF ANT 04-36190.
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MLM and GLM conceived the study. DP and JG conducted field and lab work. MLM and JE analyzed images, GLM performed data analyses. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MLM, thus all authors contributed to read, edit and approve the final manuscript.
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La Mesa, M., La Mesa, G., Piepenburg, D. et al. Spatial patterns and behaviour of notothenioid fishes off the northern Antarctic Peninsula. Polar Biol 45, 971–985 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-022-03047-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-022-03047-y