Zooplankton and sediment fluxes in two contrasting fjords reveal Atlantification of the Arctic

Weydmann‐Zwolicka, Agata; Prątnicka, Paula; Łącka, Magdalena; Majaneva, Sanna; Cottier, Finlo; Berge, Jørgen

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145599

Cited by 17 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…There have only been a few seasonal studies on zooplankton including O . similis carried out in Spitsbergen fjords using nets: in 80 s 25 , and 90 s, when the fjords on the west coast of Svalbard still experienced cold Arctic conditions and seasonal sea ice cover 12 , 26 , 27 ; and more recently from data from sediment traps 28 . These studies did not specifically consider the entire population structure of O. similis .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenology of Oithona similis demonstrates that ecological flexibility may be a winning trait in the warming Arctic

Balazy

Boehnke

Trudnowska

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Rapidly warming Arctic is facing significant shifts in the zooplankton size-spectra manifested as increasing numbers of the small-sized copepod Oithona similis. Here we present a unique continuous data set covering 22 months, on its copepodite structure along with environmental drivers in the Atlantic-influenced high Arctic fjord Isfjorden (Spitsbergen). Abundance maxima of O. similis were observed in September when the highest seawater temperature was recorded. A high concentration of the indicator species of Atlantification Oithona atlantica was also observed at that time. The clear dominance of O. similis in the zooplankton community during the dark, theoretically unproductive season emphasizes its substantial role in sustaining a continuous carbon flow, when most of the large herbivorous copepods fall into sleeping state. The high sex ratio observed twice in both years during periods of high primary production suggests two main reproductive events per year. O. similis reproduced even in very low temperatures (< 0 °C) previously thought to limit their fecundity, which proves its unique thermal tolerance. Our study provides a new insight on ecology of this key copepod of marine ecosystems across the globe, and thus confirm the Climatic Variability Hypothesis assuming that natural selection favour species with such flexible adaptive traits as O. similis.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenology of Oithona similis demonstrates that ecological flexibility may be a winning trait in the warming Arctic

Balazy

Boehnke

Trudnowska

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…Particularly, Svalbard ecosystems are currently affected by increased heat transport from northward-flowing currents 3,[8][9][10] . The changing environmental conditions in this region introduces a significant impact on shaping biodiversity and the biogeography of many taxonomic groups, such as birds and mammals 11,12 , fish 13,14 , zooplankton [15][16][17] , phytoplankton 18,19 , and planktonic foraminifera 20,21 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metabarcoding Reveals High Diversity of Benthic Foraminifera Driven by Atlantification of Coastal Svalbard

Nguyen

Pawłowska

Angeles

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Arctic marine biodiversity is undergoing rapid changes due to global warming and modifications of oceanic water masses circulation. These changes have been demonstrated in the case of mega- and macrofauna, but much less is known about their impact on the biodiversity of smaller size organisms, such as foraminifera that represents a main component of meiofauna in the Arctic. Several studies analysed the distribution and diversity of Arctic foraminifera. However, all these studies are based exclusively on the morphological identification of specimens sorted from sediment samples. Here, we present the first assessment of Arctic foraminifera diversity based on metabarcoding of sediment DNA samples collected in fjords and open sea areas in Svalbard Archipelago. We obtained a total of 5,968,786 reads that represented 1,384 ASVs. More than half of the ASVs (51.7%) could not be assigned to any group in the reference database suggesting a high genetic novelty of Svalbard foraminifera. The sieved and unsieved samples resolved comparable communities, sharing 1023 ASVs, comprising over 97% of reads. Our analyses show that the foraminiferal assemblage differs between the localities, with communities distinctly separated between fjord and open sea stations. Each locality was characterized by a specific assemblage, with only a small overlap in the case of open sea areas. Our study demonstrates a clear pattern of the influence of water masses on the structure of foraminiferal communities. The stations situated on the western coast of Svalbard that is strongly influenced by warm and salty Atlantic Water (AW) are characterized by much higher diversity than stations in the northern and eastern part, where the impact of AW is less pronounced. This high diversity and specificity of Svalbard foraminifera associated with water mass distribution indicate that the foraminiferal metabarcoding data can be a very useful tool for inferring present and past environmental conditions in the Arctic.

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“…Vocal rates are currently much higher in Rijpfjorden compared to Kongsfjorden. However, as temperatures increase in the coming decades, the hydrographic regime, sea ice cover and community composition in Rijpfjorden are expected to undergo changes similar to what has already taken place in Kongsfjorden (Wallace et al 2010;Onarheim et al 2014;Hop et al 2019;Weydmann-Zwolicka et al 2021). Heat advection from Atlantic Water is also expected to increase in the future, which will continue to drive sea ice losses and the displacement of the pack-ice towards the north, beyond the shelf and into the deep Arctic Ocean Basin (Polyakov et al 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of different call types and the phenology of vocal behaviour during the breeding season was studied in depth with the aim of describing how bearded seals reproductive ecology is being impacted by reduced sea ice availability in mid-west Svalbard compared to northeastern parts of the archipelago, which are less impacted to date by warming (e.g. Urbanski and Litwicka 2021;Weydmann-Zwolicka et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) vocalizations across seasons and habitat types in Svalbard, Norway

et al. 2021

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Male bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) use vocal displays to attract females and to compete with other males during the mating season. This makes it possible to monitor breeding populations of this species using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). This study analysed year-round acoustic data records from AURAL instruments in Svalbard (Norway) to investigate seasonal variation in the acoustic presence of male bearded seals and the phenology of different call types (long, step and sweep trills) at three sites representing a variety of habitats with varied ice conditions. Male bearded seals vocalized for an extended period at a drift-ice site (Atwain; January–July) north of Spitsbergen, while the vocal season was shorter at a High Arctic land-fast-ice site (Rijpfjorden; February–June) and shorter yet again at a west-coast site that has undergone dramatic reductions in sea ice cover over the last 1.5 decades (Kongsfjorden; April–June). Generalized Additive Models showed marked seasonal segregation in the use of different trill types at Atwain, where call rates reached 400 per h, with long trills being the most numerous call type. Modest segregation of trill types was seen at Rijpfjorden, where call rates reached 300 per h, and no segregation occurred in Kongsfjorden (peak call rate 80 per h). Sea ice cover was available throughout the vocal season at Atwain and Rijpfjorden, while at Kongsfjorden peak vocal activity (May–June) occurred after the sea ice disappeared. Ongoing climate warming and sea ice reductions will likely increase the incidence of such mismatches and reduce breeding habitat for bearded seals.

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Zooplankton and sediment fluxes in two contrasting fjords reveal Atlantification of the Arctic

Cited by 17 publications

References 63 publications

Phenology of Oithona similis demonstrates that ecological flexibility may be a winning trait in the warming Arctic

Phenology of Oithona similis demonstrates that ecological flexibility may be a winning trait in the warming Arctic

Metabarcoding Reveals High Diversity of Benthic Foraminifera Driven by Atlantification of Coastal Svalbard

Bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) vocalizations across seasons and habitat types in Svalbard, Norway

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