Benthic community shifts: A possible linkage to climate change?.

SAHADE, RICARDO; SOLEDAD TARANTELLI; MARCOS TATIÁN; GUILLERMO MERCURI

Berichte zur Polar-und Meeresforschung / Reports on Polar and Marine Research

Alfred Wegener Institute

Lugar: Bremerhaven; Año: 2008 vol. 571 p. 331 - 339

1618-3193

The present study aimed to analize benthic community patterns at Potter Cove over a three year time period inferring causal processes in the frame of global warming scenario. Photographic surveys were performed during the summer seasons 1994/95 and 1997/98 along transects. Particular depth profiles 15, 20, 25 and 30 m were sampled. The benthic communities of Potter Cove exhibited unexpected shifts in the three year period between samplings.The ascidian Molgula pedunculata, dominant in 94/95 was the most affected species. On the other hand, the bivalve Laternula elliptica and pennatulids dominated at 15 m depth in 94/95 (Sahade et al. 1998) and became dominant as well at 20 m in 97/98, extending their dominance to deeper waters probably due to the ascidian retraction. In the actual scenario of global change the main challenge is probably to identify the proxies that will affect ecosystems. In this context, these results suggest that in the near future the increased sediment discharge and iceberg and growlers occurrence from retreating glaciers would play a fundamental role in modulating shallow coastal ecosystem dynamics.