Beschreibung: Count numbers and filtered volumes of euphausiids (Euphausia superba, Euphausia crystallorophias, Thysanoessa macrura) caught with a Rectangular Midwater trawl (RMT) during PS82. The volumes are in m^3.

Beschreibung: This dataset summarizes allometric measurements on zooplankton and nekton species performed in the framework of the Dutch and German ICEFLUX projects. Measurements were performed on 639 individuals of 15 species from the Southern Ocean and 2374 individuals of 14 species from the Arctic Ocean, including euphausiids, fish, pelagic and ice-associated amphipods, cnidarians, salps, siphonophores, chaetognaths and a copepod. Animals were collected during three expeditions in the Southern Ocean (winter and summer) and three expeditions in the Arctic Ocean (spring and summer). In addition to measurements on length and mass, the sizes of body parts were measured, such as carapaces, eyes, heads, telsons, tails and otoliths.

Beschreibung: To better predict ecological consequences of changing Arctic sea ice environments, we aimed to quantify the contribution of ice algae-produced carbon (αIce) to pelagic food webs in the central Arctic Ocean. Eight abundant under-ice fauna species were submitted to fatty acid (FA) analysis, bulk stable isotope analysis (BSIA) of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotopic ratios, and compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of δ13C in trophic marker FAs. A high mean contribution αIce was found in Apherusa glacialis and other sympagic (ice-associated) amphipods (BSIA: 87% to 91%, CSIA: 58% to 92%). The pelagic copepods Calanus glacialis and C. hyperboreus, and the pelagic amphipod Themisto libellula showed substantial, but varying αIce values (BSIA: 39% to 55%, CSIA: 23% to 48%). Lowest αIce mean values were found in the pteropod Clione limacina (BSIA: 30%, CSIA: 14% to 18%). Intra-specific differences in FA compositions related to two different environmental regimes were more pronounced in pelagic than in sympagic species. A comparison of mixing models using different isotopic approaches indicated that a model using δ13C signatures from both diatom-specific and dinoflagellate-specific marker FAs provided the most conservative estimate of αIce. Our results imply that ecological key species of the central Arctic Ocean thrive significantly on carbon synthesized by ice algae. Due to the close connectivity between sea ice and the pelagic food web, changes in sea ice coverage and ice algal production will likely have important consequences for food web functioning and carbon dynamics of the pelagic system.

Beschreibung: Antarctic krill Euphausia superba (“krill”) constitute a fundamental food source for Antarctic seabirds and mammals, and a globally important fisheries resource. The future resilience of krill to climate change depends critically on the winter survival of young krill. To survive periods of extremely low production by pelagic algae during winter, krill are assumed to rely partly on carbon produced by ice algae. The true dependency on ice algae-produced carbon, however, is so far unquantified. This confounds predictions on the future resilience of krill stocks to sea ice decline. Fatty acid (FA) analysis, bulk stable isotope analysis (BSIA), and compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of diatom- and dinoflagellate-associated marker FAs were applied to quantify the dependency of overwintering larval, juvenile, and adult krill on ice algae-produced carbon (αIce) during winter 2013 in the Weddell-Scotia Confluence Zone. Our results demonstrate that the majority of the carbon uptake of the overwintering larval and juvenile krill originated from ice algae (up to 88% of the carbon budget), and that the dependency on ice algal carbon decreased with ontogeny, reaching 〈56% of the carbon budget in adults. Spatio-temporal variability in the utilization of ice algal carbon was more pronounced in larvae and juvenile krill than in adults. Differences between αIce estimates derived from short- vs. long-term FA-specific isotopic compositions suggested that ice algae-produced carbon gained importance as the winter progressed, and might become critical at the late winter-spring transition, before the phytoplankton bloom commences. Where the sea ice season shortens, reduced availability of ice algae might possibly not be compensated by surplus phytoplankton production during wintertime. Hence, sea ice decline could seriously endanger the winter survival of recruits, and subsequently overall biomass of krill.

Beschreibung: The underside of sea ice in Polar Regions represents a natural habitat for heterotrophic organisms, such as copepods and amphipods. This under-ice fauna plays a key role in transferring carbon synthesized by sea ice-associated (sympagic) microalgae into associated pelagic and benthic food webs of polar ecosystems. Animals at higher trophic levels are adapted to feed on the under-ice fauna as well as on pelagic zooplankton and nekton. Polar ecosystems thrive significantly on ice algae-produced carbon depending on different periods of the year. Thus, the under-ice fauna and the associated pelagic food web are largely affected by multi-scale climate changes accompanied by the reduction of sea ice coverage and an increasing duration of the melt season. Until now, however, the degree to which polar food webs depend on sea ice-derived carbon is unclear. The overall aim of this thesis is to quantify the transfer of ice algae-produced carbon from the sea ice into the under-ice community and from there into pelagic food webs in Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems, in order to improve our understanding of the potential ecological consequences of a changing sea ice environment for marine food web dynamics. Furthermore, spatial and seasonal differences in the utilization of ice algaeproduced carbon within and between both hemispheres are investigated. The sample collection in the central Arctic Ocean was carried out during the RV ‘Polarstern’ expedition ARK XXVII-3 (PS80, August-September 2012) within the Amundsen and Nansen Basins. In the Southern Ocean, samples were collected during the RV ‘Polarstern’ expeditions ANT XXIX-7 (PS81, August-October 2013) in the northern Weddell Sea and ANT XXIX-9 (PS82, December 2013-March 2014) offshore from the Filchner Ice Shelf. Trophic interactions of important representatives of Arctic and Antarctic food webs are studied using lipid fingerprinting, stable isotope analysis (SIA) of natural abundance bulk carbon and nitrogen (BSIA), and compound-specific SIA (CSIA) of fatty acids (FAs). From the distribution of algae-produced FAs in the consumers (= marker FAs), the origin of carbon produced by diatoms versus dinoflagellates in key Arctic species (Chapter I and II) and key Antarctic species (Chapters III-VI) is investigated. Stable isotope mixing models are used to quantify the relative contribution of bulk carbon and marker fatty acids derived from ice algae versus pelagic phytoplankton to the carbon budget of the organisms. Additionally, the stomach contents of polar cod Boreogadus saida (Chapter II) and Antarctic krill Euphausia superba (Chapter IV) are investigated to provide information on the most recent diet composition and carbon sources compared to the long-term trophic signal derived from FA proportions and stable isotope compositions. In the Arctic food web, a high contribution of ice algal carbon with up to 90% of the carbon budget of species with a known strong sea ice association, such as the amphipods Apherusa glacialis and Onisimus glacialis, is demonstrated. The results also suggest a substantial ice algae-carbon assimilation by rather pelagic species, such as Calanus copepods and the pelagic amphipod Themisto libellula during late Arctic summer, in which sympagic carbon contributed up to 55% of the carbon budget of these species (Chapter I). Furthermore, a high trophic dependency of polar cod on sea ice-associated resources is shown (up to 95% ice algal carbon of body carbon), indicating their high vulnerability in regards to alterations of the sympagic food web (Chapter II). Chapter III addresses differences in the utilization of ice algal carbon by different developmental stages of Antarctic krill (Furcilia larvae, juveniles, adults) during late austral winter. It is shown that young developmental stages thrive significantly on ice algae produced carbon to survive their first winter, receiving up to two thirds of their carbon uptake from ice algae. The high spatial and temporal variability in diet and carbon sources of AC0 krill (larvae, juveniles) across the sampling area in the northern Weddell Sea is discussed in Chapter IV. Besides young E. superba, the amphipod Eusirus latircarpus demonstrates a particularly high trophic dependency on sea ice-related primary production during late austral winter, indicating a proportional contribution of ice algal carbon of up to 67% of their energy budget. Other important energy linkers indicate a switch from a predominantly pelagic lifestyle to a strong dependency on ice algae-produced carbon as the winter season progressed (Chapter V). Among the other abundant euphausiids collected offshore from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Euphausia crystallorophias and Thysanoessa macrura show that ice algal carbon can serve as important carbon source during austral summer, accounting for up to 43% of the dietary carbon in these species (Chapter VI). In summary, the applied state-of-the art techniques and statistical models allow for a reliable quantification of the contribution of ice algae-produced carbon to the carbon budget of ecological key species in both Polar Regions. The results imply that functioning and carbon dynamics of food webs in both Polar Regions are likely affected by changes in sea ice coverage and thus ice algal primary production. Due to the close connectivity between the sea ice ecosystem and the pelagic system, these consequences will subsequently impact the entire polar ecosystems, their fish populations and subsequently mammal populations. Moreover, these large amounts of required carbon for the nutrition of polar food webs, currently fulfilled by ice algae, can likely not be substituted by an increased pelagic primary production.

Beschreibung: The Barents Sea is a hotspot for environmental change due to its rapid warming, and information on dietary preferences of zooplankton is crucial to better understand the impacts of these changes on food-web dynamics. We combined lipid-based trophic marker approaches, namely analysis of fatty acids (FAs), highly branched isoprenoids (HBIs) and sterols, to compare late summer (August) and early winter (November/December) feeding of key Barents Sea zooplankters; the copepods Calanus glacialis, C. hyperboreus and C. finmarchicus and the amphipods Themisto libellula and T. abyssorum. Based on FAs, copepods showed a stronger reliance on a diatombased diet. Phytosterols, produced mainly by diatoms, declined from summer to winter in C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus, indicating the strong direct linkage of their feeding to primary production. By contrast, C. finmarchicus showed evidence of year-round feeding, indicated by the higher winter carnivory FA ratios of 18:1(n-9)/18:1(n-7) than its larger congeners. This, plus differences in seasonal lipid dynamics, suggests varied overwintering strategies among the copepods; namely diapause in C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus and continued feeding activity in C. finmarchicus. Based on the absence of sea ice algae-associated HBIs (IP25 and IPSO25) in the three copepod species during both seasons, their carbon sources were likely primarily of pelagic origin. In both amphipods, increased FA carnivory ratios during winter indicated that they relied strongly on heterotrophic prey during the polar night. Both amphipod species contained sea ice algae-derived HBIs, present in broadly similar concentrations between species and seasons. Our results indicate that sea ice-derived carbon forms a supplementary food rather than a crucial dietary component for these two amphipod species in summer and winter, with carnivory potentially providing them with a degree of resilience to the rapid decline in Barents Sea (winter) sea-ice extent and thickness. The weak trophic link of both zooplankton taxa to sea ice-derived carbon in our study likely reflects the low abundance and quality of ice-associated carbon during late summer and the inaccessibility of algae trapped inside the ice during winter.

Beschreibung: Polar ecosystems thrive significantly on carbon synthesized by sea ice-associated microalgae during long periods of the year. Continued alterations of the sea ice system might not only have dramatic consequences for the sympagic (ice-associated) ecosystem, but will also have a large impact on the pelagic food web due to the close connectivity between the sea ice and the pelagic system. Thus, it is crucial to identify to which extent ecologically important species in the Arctic Ocean trophically depend on ice algae-produced carbon versus carbon produced by pelagic phytoplankton.

Beschreibung: Antarctic krill Euphausia superba (‘krill’) constitute a fundamental food source for Antarctic seabirds and mammals, and a globally important fisheries resource. The future resilience of krill to climate change depends critically on the winter survival of young krill. To survive periods of extremely low production by pelagic algae during winter, krill are assumed to rely partly on carbon produced by ice algae. The true dependency on ice algae-produced carbon, however, is so far unquantified. This confounds predictions on the future resilience of krill stocks to sea ice decline. Fatty acid (FA) analysis, bulk stable isotope analysis (BSIA) and compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of diatom- and dinoflagellate-associated marker FAs were applied to quantify the dependency of overwintering larval, juvenile and adult krill on ice algae-produced carbon (αIce) during winter 2013 in the Weddell-Scotia Confluence Zone. Our results demonstrate that the majority of the carbon uptake of the overwintering larval and juvenile krill originated from ice algae (up to 88% of the carbon budget), and that the dependency on ice algal carbon decreased with ontogeny, reaching less than 56% of the carbon budget in adults. Spatio-temporal variability in the utilization of ice algal carbon was more pronounced in larvae and juvenile krill than in adults. Differences between αIce estimates derived from short- versus long-term FA-specific isotopic compositions suggested that ice algae-produced carbon gained importance as the winter progressed, and might become critical at the late winter-spring transition, before the phytoplankton bloom commences. Where the sea ice season shortens, reduced availability of ice algae might possibly not be compensated by surplus phytoplankton production during wintertime. Hence, sea ice decline could seriously endanger the winter survival of recruits, and subsequently overall biomass of krill.

Beschreibung: The polar cod (Boreogadus saida) is considered an ecological key species, because it reaches high stock biomasses and constitutes an important carbon source for seabirds and marine mammals in high-Arctic ecosystems. Young polar cod (1-2 years) are often associated with the underside of sea ice. To evaluate the impact of changing Arctic sea ice habitats on polar cod, we examined the diet composition and quantified the contribution of ice algae-produced carbon (αIce) to the carbon budget of polar cod. Young polar cod were sampled in the ice-water interface layer in the central Arctic Ocean during late summer 2012. Diets and carbon sources of these fish were examined using 4 approaches: 1) stomach content analysis, 2) fatty acid (FA) analysis, 3) bulk nitrogen and carbon stable isotope analysis (BSIA) and 4) compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of FAs. The ice-associated (sympagic) amphipod Apherusa glacialis dominated the stomach contents by mass, indicating a high importance of sympagic fauna in young polar cod diets. The biomass of food measured in stomachs implied constant feeding at daily rates of ~ 1.2% body mass per fish, indicating the potential for positive growth. FA profiles of polar cod indicated that diatoms were the primary carbon source, indirectly obtained via amphipods and copepods. The αIce using bulk isotope data from muscle was estimated to be 〉 90%. In comparison, αIce based on CSIA ranged from 34 to 65%, with the highest estimates from muscle and the lowest from liver tissue. Overall, our results indicate a strong dependency of polar cod on ice-algae produced carbon. This suggests that young polar cod may be particularly vulnerable to changes in the distribution and structure of sea ice habitats. Due to the ecological key role of polar cod, changes at the base of the sea ice-associated food web are likely to affect the higher trophic levels of high-Arctic ecosystems.