Dataset Information

Shift in polar benthic community structure in a fast retreating glacial area of Marian Cove, West Antarctica.

ABSTRACT: Glacier retreat is a major long-standing global issue; however, the ecological impacts of such retreats on marine organisms remain unanswered. Here, we examined changes to the polar benthic community structure of "diatoms" under current global warming in a recently retreated glacial area of Marian Cove, Antarctica. The environments and spatiotemporal assemblages of benthic diatoms surveyed in 2018-2019 significantly varied between the intertidal (tidal height of 2.5 m) and subtidal zone (10 and 30 m). A distinct floral distribution along the cove (~?4.5 km) was characterized by the adaptive strategy of species present, with chain-forming species predominating near the glacier. The predominant chain-forming diatoms, such as Fragilaria striatula and Paralia sp., are widely distributed in the innermost cove over years, indicating sensitive responses of benthic species to the fast-evolving polar environment. The site-specific and substrate-dependent distributions of certain indicator species (e.g., F. striatula, Navicula glaciei, Cocconeis cf. pinnata) generally reflected such shifts in the benthic community. Our review revealed that the inner glacier region reflected trophic association, featured with higher diversity, abundance, and biomass of benthic diatoms and macrofauna. Overall, the polar benthic community shift observed along the cove generally represented changing environmental conditions, (in)directly linked to ice-melting due to the recent glacier retreat.

SUBMITTER: Bae H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7794547 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Shift in polar benthic community structure in a fast retreating glacial area of Marian Cove, West Antarctica.

Bae Hanna H Ahn In-Young IY Park Jinsoon J Song Sung Joon SJ Noh Junsung J Kim Hosang H Khim Jong Seong JS

Scientific reports 20210108 1

Glacier retreat is a major long-standing global issue; however, the ecological impacts of such retreats on marine organisms remain unanswered. Here, we examined changes to the polar benthic community structure of "diatoms" under current global warming in a recently retreated glacial area of Marian Cove, Antarctica. The environments and spatiotemporal assemblages of benthic diatoms surveyed in 2018-2019 significantly varied between the intertidal (tidal height of 2.5 m) and subtidal zone (10 and ...[more]

PMID: 33420319

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Dataset Information

Shift in polar benthic community structure in a fast retreating glacial area of Marian Cove, West Antarctica.

Publications

Shift in polar benthic community structure in a fast retreating glacial area of Marian Cove, West Antarctica.

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