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The abundance and distribution of echinoderms in nearshore hard-bottom habitats near Anvers Island, western Antarctic Peninsula

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2012

Brittny A. White ,
James McClintock ,
Charles D. Amsler ,
Christopher L. Mah ,
Margaret O. Amsler ,
Stephanie White ,
Langdon B. Quetin  and
Robin M. Ross
Brittny A. White
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL 35294-1170, USA
James McClintock*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL 35294-1170, USA
Charles D. Amsler
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL 35294-1170, USA
Christopher L. Mah
Affiliation:
Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, PO Box 37012, MRC-163, Washington DC, 20013-7012, USA
Margaret O. Amsler
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL 35294-1170, USA
Stephanie White
Affiliation:
Marine Science Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara, CA 93106-6150, USA
Langdon B. Quetin
Affiliation:
Marine Science Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara, CA 93106-6150, USA
Robin M. Ross
Affiliation:
Marine Science Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara, CA 93106-6150, USA
*
*corresponding author: [email protected]
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Abstract

Echinoderms are well represented in nearshore hard-bottom (< 100 m depth) habitats along the Antarctic Peninsula where they are presumably important contributors to benthic production, carbon flow, and determinants of community structure. The present study assesses the densities of echinoderms at shallow depths (2–15 m) at five sampling sites within three kilometres of Anvers Island on the central western Antarctic Peninsula. The asteroids Odontaster validus, Granaster nutrix, Lysasterias perrieri and Adelasterias papillosa, two ophiuroids in the Amphiuridae, the holothuroids Psolicrux coatsi and Psolus carolineae and one representative of the Cucumaridae, and the regular echinoid Sterechinus neumayeri were enumerated. Mean total echinoderm densities were high (34.9 individuals m-2) and ranged from 21.9 individuals m-2 for asteroids to 2.7 individuals m-2 for holothuroids. With the exception of a positive relationship between the abundance of the regular echinoid Sterechinus neumayeri and the biomass of the brown alga Himanthothallus grandifolius, no significant relationships were found between the abundance of asteroids, ophiuroids, or holothuroids and two species of brown algae or three algal ecotypes. The present study indicates nearshore hard-bottom echinoderms are important in the carbon cycle and their inherent vulnerability to ocean acidification may have community-level impacts.

Keywords

benthicdiversityEchinodermatapopulation biology
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 24 , Issue 6 , December 2012 , pp. 554 - 560
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2012

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