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Composition and biomass of shallow benthic megafauna during an annual cycle in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 August 2005

CARLOS ALEJANDRO ECHEVERRÍA ,
PAULO CESAR PAIVA  and
VINÍCIUS COUTO ALVES
CARLOS ALEJANDRO ECHEVERRÍA
Affiliation:
Depto de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco A-Ilha do Fundão, 21940-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
PAULO CESAR PAIVA
Affiliation:
Depto de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco A-Ilha do Fundão, 21940-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
VINÍCIUS COUTO ALVES
Affiliation:
Depto de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco A-Ilha do Fundão, 21940-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Abstract

Composition and biomass of an Antarctic megafauna community were studied during a discontinuous 12 months cycle (March–December 1999 and December 2000–March 2001) at two stations (12 and 25 m depth) in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. During this period iceberg impacts were monitored in order to analyse their role in structuring the community. Organic matter content of the sediment showed a seasonal cycle for both depths, with lower values during winter and higher in summer. Composition and biomass of the megafauna were comparable to those described in previous surveys for the maritime Antarctica. Interannual or summer/winter changes in the density or biomass of the megafauna community were not significant, although significant differences between depths occurred during the whole survey. The observed community composition can be the considered result of a continuous invasion from a deeper fauna, constrained at shallower waters by the effects of ice and storms.

Keywords

community structureicebergSouth Shetland Islandsstormstemporal variation
Type
Research Article
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 17 , Issue 3 , September 2005 , pp. 312 - 318
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2005

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