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PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
In:
EPIC3Deep-Sea Research Part I-Oceanographic Research Papers, PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 114, pp. 90-98, ISSN: 0967-0637
Publication Date:
2016-05-12
Description:
Spatial distribution patterns in macrobenthos were studied based on the material collected
during the R.V. Polarstern expedition ARK-XXVII/2 in July 2012. Eleven stations along the
latitudinal transect at the deep-sea observatory HAUSGARTEN in the Fram Strait were taken at
depths of about 2500 m. Macrofauna was obtained using the USNEL box corer. A single core
(0.25 m2) was taken at each station and four subcores (0.03 m2) were taken from each core and
used for the quantitative analysis. The results suggest that the single highly variable
macrobenthic community with the dominance of polychaetes Galathowenia fragilis and
Myriochele heeri inhabits the studied area. The prevalence of a mosaic in the community
structure with the grain size at least more than the size of a core was detected. However, several
abundant species (e.g. the polychaetes Prionospio sp. and Galathowenia fragilis) tend to form
patches at the scale less than a core (0.25 m2). Despite the lack of significant differences in
species distribution patterns along the latitudinal transect, there is a slight difference in
community structure between the northernmost and southernmost stations (~170 km apart),
which can be explained by variations in environmental factors (e.g. higher food availability in
the northern part of the transect).
Repository Name:
EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
Type:
Article
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isiRev
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