scholarly journals Photosynthesis and net primary productivity in three Antarctic diatoms: possible significance for their distribution in the Antarctic marine ecosystem

2011 ◽  
Vol 437 ◽  
pp. 27-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Petrou ◽  
PJ Ralph
Keyword(s):  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Antarctic Marine ◽  
Antarctic Diatoms ◽  
The Antarctic

The summer diet of demersal fish at the South Shetland Islands

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masanori Takahashi ◽  
Tetsuo Iwami
Keyword(s):  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Fish Prey ◽  
Shetland Islands ◽  
Antarctic Marine ◽  
Dietary Component ◽  
Gobionotothen Gibberifrons ◽  
The Antarctic

The stomach contents of demersal fish in late January 1982 were analysed. Samples were taken at 100, 300 and 500 m depth south of Elephant Island, Bransfield Strait and north of Livingston Island, and at 800 m to the east of Smith Island. Fifty four taxa of fish belonging to 11 families were collected. The diets of 2101 fish representing 38 taxa were examined. These were classified into three categories, fish feeders, krill feeders and benthos feeders. Fish prey species fed on krill and/or benthos. Krill was a major dietary component for 32 (84.2%) out of 38 taxa. Gobionotothen gibberifrons was distributed at all 10 stations (100–800 m in depth) and its diet comprised krill and benthos. The present findings verify the importance of krill in the Antarctic marine ecosystem and indicate that krill is consumed by benthic fish at greater depths than previously reported.

Reproductive aspects of female crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus) along the Antarctic Peninsula

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Bengtson ◽  
Donald B. Siniff
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
The Past ◽  
Antarctic Marine ◽  
Crabeater Seals ◽  
Lobodon Carcinophagus ◽  
The Antarctic

Examination of a sample of 94 female crabeater seals collected in November, 1977, indicated that, for the past 7 years, the average age at sexual maturity was 3.8 years. Reproductive performance as evidenced by uterine scars and ovarian corpora is discussed. No females inseminated at age 4 or less successfully carried a fetus full term. Timing of ovulation was affected by both age and social category. Younger seals ovulate later in the season than older seals. No females ovulated prior to weaning their pups. Ovulation in experienced females occurred sometimes while still in a mated pair, but mostly at or after dissolution of the pair bond. Comparison of recent age of sexual maturity with earlier reports shows an increase in this age since 1967. This trend may reflect geographical differences or changes in the Antarctic marine ecosystem following a slowdown in Antarctic whaling.

Review—The CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Programme

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Agnew
Keyword(s):  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Monitoring Programme ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Ecosystem Monitoring ◽  
Ecological Relationships ◽  
Antarctic Marine ◽  
Management Advice ◽  
The Antarctic

The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources states as part of its objective the maintenance of ecological relationships and the prevention of irreversible changes to the ecosystem. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has implemented an Ecosystem Monitoring Programme (CEMP) for the Antarctic marine environment to give effect to this requirement. The design phase of the programme took three years. The programme has been fully implemented since 1987 and involves monitoring selected predator, prey and environmental indicators of ecosystem performance. The central aim of the programme is the detection of changes in these indicators and the interpretation as to whether these changes are due to natural events or the harvesting of marine living resources. The core of the programme is the acquisition, centralised storage and analysis of standardised monitoring data combined with a strong emphasis on empirical and modelling based research. This both modifies the monitoring approach in line with changing requirements and creates a sound scientific background against which to test the effects of management options on components of the Antarctic ecosystem. The development of procedures for translating monitoring results into management advice is a critical part of the programme. Management takes the form of the regulation of fishing activities. Since 1987 CEMP has collected data on six bird and seal species at 15 sites around the Antarctic. Up to 14 parameters of predator performance and 10 parameters of prey and environmental performance are collected at each site. The data sets collected by CEMP form an extremely powerful tool for understanding and managing the Antarctic marine ecosystem.

scholarly journals Retreating Shorelines as an Emerging Threat to Adélie Penguins on Inexpressible Island

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 4718
Author(s):  
Xintong Chen ◽  
Jiquan Chen ◽  
Xiao Cheng ◽  
Lizhong Zhu ◽  
Bing Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Aerial Images ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Pygoscelis Adeliae ◽  
Antarctic Marine ◽  
Penguin Colony ◽  
Long Term Observation ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Colony Area ◽  
Adélie Penguins

Long-term observation of penguin abundance and distribution may warn of changes in the Antarctic marine ecosystem and provide support for penguin conservation. We conducted an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey of the Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colony on Inexpressible Island and obtained aerial images with a resolution of 0.07 m in 2018. We estimated penguin abundance and identified the spatial extent of the penguin colony. A total of 24,497 breeding pairs were found on Inexpressible Island within a colony area of 57,507 m2. Based on historical images, the colony area expanded by 30,613 m2 and abundance increased by 4063 pairs between 1983 and 2012. Between 2012 and 2018 penguin abundance further increased by 3314 pairs, although the colony area decreased by 1903 m2. In general, Adélie penguins bred on Inexpressible Island at an elevation <20 m, and >55% of penguins had territories within 150 m of the shoreline. This suggests that penguins prefer to breed in areas with a low elevation and close to the shoreline. We observed a retreat of the shoreline on Inexpressible Island between 1983 and 2018, especially along the northern coast, which may have played a key role in the expansion of the penguin colony on the northern coast. In sum, it appears that retreating shorelines reshaped penguin distribution on the island and may be an emerging risk factor for penguins. These results highlight the importance of remote sensing techniques for monitoring changes in the Antarctic marine ecosystem and providing reliable data for Antarctic penguin conservation.

scholarly journals The cephalopod prey of the Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddellii, a biological sampler of the Antarctic marine ecosystem

Polar Biology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 561-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Negri ◽  
G. A. Daneri ◽  
F. Ceia ◽  
R. Vieira ◽  
Y. Cherel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Weddell Seal ◽  
Leptonychotes Weddellii ◽  
Antarctic Marine ◽  
The Antarctic

scholarly journals The up-scaling of ecosystem functions in a heterogeneous world

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Lohrer ◽  
Simon F. Thrush ◽  
Judi E. Hewitt ◽  
Casper Kraan
Keyword(s):  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Marine Habitats

Abstract Earth is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis that is impacting the functioning of ecosystems and the delivery of valued goods and services. However, the implications of large scale species losses are often inferred from small scale ecosystem functioning experiments with little knowledge of how the dominant drivers of functioning shift across scales. Here, by integrating observational and manipulative experimental field data, we reveal scale-dependent influences on primary productivity in shallow marine habitats, thus demonstrating the scalability of complex ecological relationships contributing to coastal marine ecosystem functioning. Positive effects of key consumers (burrowing urchins, Echinocardium cordatum) on seafloor net primary productivity (NPP) elucidated by short-term, single-site experiments persisted across multiple sites and years. Additional experimentation illustrated how these effects amplified over time, resulting in greater primary producer biomass (sediment chlorophyll a content) in the longer term, depending on climatic context and habitat factors affecting the strengths of mutually reinforcing feedbacks. The remarkable coherence of results from small and large scales is evidence of real-world ecosystem function scalability and ecological self-organisation. This discovery provides greater insights into the range of responses to broad-scale anthropogenic stressors in naturally heterogeneous environmental settings.

Antarctic marine biology – two centuries of research

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gotthilf Hempel
Keyword(s):  
Marine Biology ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Top Predator ◽  
Major Research ◽  
Economic Exploitation ◽  
Pack Ice ◽  
Antarctic Marine ◽  
Research Facilities ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractWhilst interest in the economic exploitation of the Southern Ocean resources dates back to the last part of the 18th century scientific research into elements of the marine ecosystem only began in the mid 19th century. As far as plankton and benthos are concerned the great exploratory voyages and expeditions laid a firm taxonomic foundation on which later work was built. The most outstanding expedition contribution was from the Discovery Investigations. Concern about uncontrolled exploitation stimulated the SCAR BIOMASS programme which in turn led to CCAMLR with its modelling programmes and top predator monitoring. Recent research on pack ice communities has been aided by dedicated ice-capable research vessels whilst unmanned photographic techniques as well as SCUBA diving and experimental research facilities in the Antarctic have encouraged major research on benthos. International collaboration, interdisciplinary research and good ideas suggest Antarctic marine biology has a bright future.

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