Transformation of Benthic Communities in Pechora Bay and the Probable Loss of the Portlandia aestuariorum Population in the Typical Habitat

Dgebuadze, Polina Yu.; Basin, A. B.; Chikina, M. V.; Udalov, A. A.; Balakin, A. A.; Razgon, Ilia; Ermilova, Yu. V.; Chava, V. A.; Gebruk, Anna; Shabalin, Nikolay; Mokievsky, Vadim

doi:10.1134/s0001437021060059

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…In particular, the low-saline plume water directly affects the whole Pechora Sea ecosystem including plankton communities (especially zooplankton), which strongly depend on variability of temperature and salinity in the Pechora Sea (Musaeva and Suntsov, 2001;Usov et al, 2019). Benthic communities, being a part of foodbase of marine mammals, are also affected by local salinity fluctuations (Denisenko et al, 2019b;Dgebuadze et al, 2021;Gebruk et al, 2019;Gebruk et al, 2021;Gebruk et al, 2022;Gebruk et al, 2023). Moreover, spreading and mixing of the Pechora plume determines ice formation and ice melting in the Pechora Sea, which monitoring and forecasting is especially important for the intense marine shipping and fishery in the Pechora Sea (Semushin et al, 2019;Sukhotin et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure and variability of the Pechora plume in the southeastern part of the Barents Sea

2023

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The Pechora River forms the large Pechora River plume in the southeastern part of the Barents Sea (also called the Pechora Sea). Many previous works addressed water masses in the Barents Sea, however, the Pechora plume received relatively little attention, therefore, many basic aspects of its structure and variability remain unknown. In this study, we focus on spreading of the Pechora plume in the Pechora Sea during ice-free periods. Based on the extensive in situ measurements and satellite observations, we describe the dependence of area and spatial characteristics of the Pechora plume on wind forcing, river discharge rate, and spring ice conditions. We reveal three general types of Pechora plume spreading, which are determined by the external forcing conditions. Joint analysis of a large set of in situ and satellite data provided opportunity to study the variability of the Pechora plume on the synoptic, seasonal, and interannual time scales. We reveal regular advection of the Pechora plume through the Kara Strait into the Kara Sea. In addition, we describe formation of a significant area of increased salinity within the Pechora plume formed during wind-induced coastal upwelling events. The results of this research are of key importance for understanding the physical, biological, and geochemical processes in the Pechora Sea and the adjacent areas of the Barents and Kara seas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure and variability of the Pechora plume in the southeastern part of the Barents Sea

2023

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“…The intention of this study was to survey macrozoobenthos in the bay and collect several specimens of Portlandia for genetic studies to resolve the controversy around the status of the subspecies. During the first survey in 2020, no Portlandia were found at the position given by Mosevich, or other stations in vicinity (Dgebuadze et al 2021). The lack of a common species raised a question of possible causes and consequences of such a quick change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interannual variability of the communities and populations in a dynamic environment was also predicted as another likely reason of observed changes. In the present study, the samples from 2020 (partly described in Dgebuadze et al 2021) were combined with the newly collected samples in 2021 and hydrological data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macrozoobenthos of the Pechora Bay in 2020–2021 indicates a likely change of common bivalve molluscs in the Arctic estuary

et al. 2023

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The Pechora Bay is a hydrologically and ecologically important area of the Barents Sea but there are still gaps in our knowledge of biodiversity of the area, including macrozoobenthos. In the first half of the twentieth century, the Pechora Bay was noted as a type locality for the bivalve mollusc Portlandia aestuariorum. Only a few surveys of macrozoobenthos have been conducted since and the last work from this area indicated the absence of P. aestuariorum. In this paper, we described macrozoobenthos and hydrological conditions of the bay based on the data collected in field campaigns in 2020–2021. All estuarine stations corresponded to a monodominant community of Macoma balthica poor in biomass (27.29 ± 20.82 g m−2) and species richness (33 species of macrozoobenthos recorded from 10 stations). The seaward most station was occupied by a marine assemblage of macrozoobenthos dominated by polychaetes Nephtys longosetosa and Cistenides hyperborea. Macrozoobenthos of the bay forms an ecocline from estuarine to marine species along the gradient of salinity. No significant differences in macrobenthic abundance, biomass and species richness were found between the 2 years of sampling and described fauna corresponds well to communities sampled in 1990s. Portlandia aestuariorum was absent in all our samples, which supports the hypothesis of disappearance of this previously common bivalve mollusc from the area, but the question of the driver of the change in macrozoobenthos remains open and requires further investigation.

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Transformation of Benthic Communities in Pechora Bay and the Probable Loss of the Portlandia aestuariorum Population in the Typical Habitat

Cited by 2 publications

References 4 publications

Structure and variability of the Pechora plume in the southeastern part of the Barents Sea

Structure and variability of the Pechora plume in the southeastern part of the Barents Sea

Macrozoobenthos of the Pechora Bay in 2020–2021 indicates a likely change of common bivalve molluscs in the Arctic estuary

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