Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Changes in the Quantitative Characteristics of Macro- and Meiobenthos in the Blagopoluchiya Bay from 2013 to 2020 (Novaya Zemlya, the Kara Sea)

  • MARINE BIOLOGY
  • Published:
Oceanology Aims and scope

Abstract

Macro- and meiobenthos of the Blagopoluchiya Bay (Novaya Zemlya, Kara Sea) have undergone significant changes in their quantitative distribution from 2013 to 2020. During this period, meiobenthos abundance has increased greatly, whereas macrobenthos abundance has decreased. Mean meiobenthos density has tripled (from 702 to 2293 ind./10 cm2), while mean macrobenthos density decreased by more than a half (from 1530 to 645 ind./m2). The observed growth of meiobenthos density was mainly due to an increase in the abundance of free-living nematodes. We suggest that the invasion of snow crab Chionoecetes opilio is one of the most important drivers of changes in benthos distribution. Following the crab invasion, there was a reduction of macrobenthic density and biomass and a compensatory increase in those in meiobenthos in the Blagopoluchiya Bay.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. T. V. Antipova and V. N. Semenov, “Composition and distribution of benthos in the southwestern regions of typical marine waters of the Kara Sea,” in Ecology and Biological Resources of the Kara Sea (Kola Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, 1989), pp. 127–137.

    Google Scholar 

  2. The Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and the Kara Sea: Geochemistry, Glaciology, and Radiation Conditions, Ed. by M. V. Flint (APR, Moscow, 2018) [in Russian].

  3. S. V. Galkin, A. K. Zalota, A. A. Udalov, and A. A. Pronin, Evaluating of the population density of alien crab Chionoecetes opilio in the Kara Sea using underwater towed vehicle Videomodul’,” in Proceedings of the XVII International Conf. “Modern Methods and Means of Oceanological Research” (Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 2021), Vol. 2, pp. 207–210.

  4. V. V. Gal’tsova, “Meiobenthos in marine ecosystems by example of free-living nematodes,” Tr. Zool. Inst., Ross. Akad. Nauk 224, (1991).

  5. A. N. Golikov and V. G. Averintsev, “Biocenoses of the upper shelf of the Franz Josef Archipelago and its distribution,” in Explorations of the Fauna of the Seas, Vol. 14, No. 22: Biocenoses of the Franz Josef Land and Fauna of Adjacent Water Basins (Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow, 1977), pp. 5–54.

  6. A. N. Golikov, O. N. Skarlato, V. G. Averintsev, et al., “Ecosystems of the Novosibirsk shallow water area and their distribution pattern and functions,” in Ecosystems of the Novosibirsk Shallow Water Area and Fauna of the Laptev Sea, and Adjacent Waters of the Arctic Ocean (Nauka, Leningrad, 1990), pp. 4–79.

    Google Scholar 

  7. O. L. Zimina, “Finding the snow crab Chionoecetes opilio (O. Fabricius, 1788) (Decapoda: Majidae) in the Kara Sea,” Russ. J. Mar. Biol. 40, 490–492 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. V. V. Kozlovskiy, M. V. Chikina, N. V. Kucheruk, and A. B. Basin, “Structure of the macrozoobenthic communities in the southwestern Kara Sea,” Oceanology (Engl. Transl.) 51, 1012–1020 (2011).

  9. A. A. Maksimov and V. A. Petukhov, “The role of macro- and meiobenthos in the benthic communities of the top of the Gulf of Finland,” Tr. Zool. Inst., Ross. Akad. Nauk 315 (3), 289–310 (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  10. V. O. Mokievsky, L. V. Vorobjeva, L. A. Garlitska, et al., “Long-term changes in the meiobenthos of the eastern part of the Black Sea,” Oceanology (Engl. Transl.) 50, 945–952 (2010).

  11. S. V. Stepanova and A. A. Nedospasov, “Features of hydrophysical and hydrochemical conditions in Blagopoluchiya Bay (Novaya Zemlya Archipelago),” Oceanology (Engl. Transl.) 57, 65–74 (2017).

  12. A. M. Sokolov, Introduction of snow crab Chionoecetes opilio to the Kara Sea as an example of further adaptive strategy of this species in the Russian sector of the Arctic (according to the research results of the Polar Scientific Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography performed in 2013),” Rybn. Khoz. 6, 63–67 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  13. V. A. Spiridonov, A. K. Zalota, and A. A. Vedenin, “The rapid invasion of snow crab Chionoecetes opilio to the Kara Sea,” in Proceedings of Scientific Conf. “Ecosystem of the Kara Sea: New Data of Expedition Studies” (Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 2015), pp. 179–183.

  14. A. A. Udalov, I. V. Burkovskii, V. O. Mokievskii, et al., “Changes in the general characteristics of micro-, meio-, and macrobenthos along the salinity gradient in the White Sea estuary,” Oceanology (Engl. Transl.) 44, 514–525 (2004).

  15. A. A. Udalov, A. A. Vedenin, and M. I. Simakov, “Benthic fauna of Blagopoluchiya Bay (Novaya Zemlya Archipelago, Kara Sea),” Oceanology (Engl. Transl.) 56, 655–665 (2016).

  16. A. A. Udalov, D. V. Kondar, M. A. Miljutina, et al., “Quantitative distribution of the meiobenthos in Baidaratskaya Bay (Kara Sea),” Oceanology (Engl. Transl.) 57, 154–164 (2017).

  17. A. M. Sheremetevskii, Explorations of the Fauna of the Seas, Vol. 35, No. 43: Role of Meiobenthos of the South Sakhalin Shelf, Eastern Kamchatka, and Novosibirsk Shallow Water Area (Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow, 1987) [in Russian].

  18. A. M. Sheremetevskii, “Substitution of meiobenthos by macrobenthos by example of mussel beds in the White Sea,” Ekol. Morya 39, 89–91 (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  19. S. S. Bell and B. C. Coull, “Field evidence that shrimp predation regulates meiofauna,” Oecologia. 35, 141–148 (1978).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. S. S. Bell, “Au experimental study of the relationship between below-ground structure and meiofauna taxa,” Mar Biol. 76 (1), 33–39 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. U. Braeckman, C. van Colen, K. Soetaert, et al., “Contrasting macrobenthic activities differentially affect nematode density and diversity in a shallow subtidal marine sediment,” Mar. Ecol.: Prog. Ser. 422, 179–191 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. R. Burgess, “An improved protocol for separating meiofauna from sediments using colloidal silica sols,” Mar. Ecol.: Prog. Ser. 214, 161–165 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. B. C. Coull, “Are members of the meiofauna food for higher trophic levels?” Trans. Am. Microsc. Soc. 109, 233 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. R. Danovaro, M. Scopa, C. Gambi, and S. Fraschetti, “Trophic importance of subtidal metazoan meiofauna: evidence from in situ exclusion experiments on soft and rocky substrates,” Mar. Biol. 152, 339–350 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. J. W. Fleeger, D. S. Johnson, K. A. Galván, and L. A. Deegan, “Top-down and bottom-up control of infauna varies across the saltmarsh landscape,” J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 357, 20–34 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. A. Gebruk, A. K. Zalota, P. Dgebuadze, et al., “Trophic niches of benthic crustaceans in the Pechora Sea suggest that the invasive snow crab Chionoecetes opilio could be an important competitor,” Polar Biol. 44 (1), 57–71 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. K. Görlich, J. M. Weslawski, and M. Zajaczkowski, “Suspension settling effect on macrobenthic biomass distribution in the Hornsund fjord, Spitsbergen,” Polar Res. 5 (2), 175–192 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Ø. Hammer, D. A. T. Harper, and P. D. Ryan, “PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis,” Palaeontol. Electron. 4, 1–9 (2001).

    Google Scholar 

  29. D. J. Horne, A. Bruce, and J. E. Whittaker, “Ostracoda,” in European Register of Marine Species, A Check-List of Marine Species in Europe and a Bibliography of Identification Guides (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 2001), pp. 244–251.

  30. A. McLachlan, “Composition, distribution, abundance and biomass of the macrofauna and meiofauna of four sandy beaches,” Zool.-Afr. 12 (2), 279–306 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  31. P. Nilsson, K. Sundback, and B. Jonsson, “Effect of the brown shrimp Crangon crangon on endobenthic macrofauna, meiofauna and meiofaunal grazing rates,” Neth. J. Sea Res. 31, 95–106 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. E. Olafsson, “Do macrofauna structure meiofauna assemblages in marine soft-bottoms? A review of experimental studies,” Vie Milieu 53, 249–265 (2003).

    Google Scholar 

  33. S. V. Pyataeva, R. R. Hopcroft, D. J. Lindsay, and A. G. Collins, “DNA barcodes unite two problematic taxa: the meiobenthic Boreohydra simplex is a life-cycle stage of Plotocnide borealis (Hydrozoa: Aplanulata),” Zootaxa 4150, 85–92 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. C. O. Quintana, M. Y. Yoshinaga, and P. Y. G. Sumida, “Benthic responses to organic matter variation in subtropical coastal area off SE Brazil,” Mar. Ecol. 31 (3), 457–472 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  35. M. Shimanaga and Y. Shirayama, “Response of benthic organisms to seasonal change of organic matter deposition in the bathyal Sagami Bay, central Japan,” Oceanol. Acta 23 (1), 91–107 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. J. P. Syvitski, G. E. Farrow, R. J. A. Atkinson, et al., “Baffin Island fjord macrobenthos: bottom communities and environmental significance,” Arctic 42 (3), 232–247 (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. H. Thiel, “The size structure of the deep-sea benthos,” Int. Rev. Hydrobiol. 60 (5), 575–606 (1975).

    Google Scholar 

  38. B. Urban-Malinga, A. Drgas, S. Gromisz, and N. Barnes, “Species-specific effect of macrobenthic assemblages on meiobenthos and nematode community structure in shallow sandy sediments,” Mar. Biol. 161, 195–212 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. M. Wlodarska, J. M. Weslawski, and S. Gromisz, “A comparison of the macrofaunal community structure and diversity in two arctic glacial bays—a ‘cold’ one off Franz Josef Land and a ‘warm’ one off Spitsbergen,” Oceanologia 38, 251–283 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  40. A. K. Zalota, V. A. Spiridonov, and A. A. Vedenin, “Development of snow crab Chionoecetes opilio (Crustacea: Decapoda: Oregonidae) invasion in the Kara Sea,” Polar Biol. 41, 1983–1994 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. A. K. Zalota, O. L. Zimina, and V. A. Spiridonov, “Combining data from different sampling methods to study the development of an alien crab Chionoecetes opilio invasion in the remote and pristine Arctic Kara Sea,” PeerJ 7, e7952 (2019). https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7952

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The work was carried out within the framework of the program “Ecosystems of the Siberian Arctic Seas” and the State Assignment no. 0128-2021-0007 for Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences. The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research projects №18-05-60053 (material sampling during the cruise), 18-05-60070 (analysis of environmental factors), and 19-05-00128 (taxonomic analysis of meiobenthos). We are grateful to the Head of the Program M.V. Flint for organizing the expeditions and the crews of the R/V Professor Shtokman and R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    P. P. Lepikhina

  2. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    P. P. Lepikhina, A. B. Basin, D. V. Kondar, A. A. Udalov, M. V. Chikina & V. O. Mokievsky

Authors
  1. P. P. Lepikhina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. B. Basin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. V. Kondar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. A. Udalov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. V. Chikina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. V. O. Mokievsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. P. Lepikhina.

Additional information

Translated by D. Martynova

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lepikhina, P.P., Basin, A.B., Kondar, D.V. et al. Changes in the Quantitative Characteristics of Macro- and Meiobenthos in the Blagopoluchiya Bay from 2013 to 2020 (Novaya Zemlya, the Kara Sea). Oceanology 62, 198–206 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437022020114

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437022020114

Keywords:

Search

Navigation