Journal
JOURNAL OF SEA RESEARCH
Volume 66, Issue 1, Pages 39-46Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.seares.2011.04.014
Keywords
Diversity; Epibenthos; Community Composition; Marine Fronts; SW Atlantic
Categories
Funding
- INIDEP
- Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Fundacion Antorchas
- CONICET
- ANPCyT
- Glaciar Pesquera
- Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) [CRN 2076]
- U.S. National Science Foundation [GEO-0452325]
- CONICET-Glaciar Pesquera (Argentina)
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Productivity gradients (i.e., through bottom-up control) have an important influence on variability in species diversity and community composition in marine systems. At the SW Atlantic shelf-break front (SBF), we hypothesized that a high and stable food supply in areas under the core of a frontal influence (F) promotes a different benthic community structure (i.e., species diversity, taxa biomasses, and composition of feeding guilds) than in areas located under marginal influences of the front (M). In 2007, we sampled 34 trawling stations located across the SBF to evaluate this hypothesis. We compared epibenthic community composition, diversity indices, and species and trophic guild biomass in F and M areas. We observed differences in community composition, predator biomass, and the biomass of some taxa. However, we did not detect any changes in diversity indices, suspension feeder biomass, or grazer-omnivore biomass. The scallop, Zygochlamys patagonica, sponges, and the brittle star, Ophiacantha vivipara, together with the sea star Diplasterias brandtii characterized frontal areas. Marginal areas were characterized by the scallop, Z. patagonica, the parchment worm, Chaetopterus variopedatus, the basket star. Gorgonocephalus chilensis, the sea urchin, Austrocidaris canaliculata, and the sea star, Ctenodiscus oust rolls. These shifts in taxa were not always reflected in biomass differences between areas. These results demonstrate that spatial variations in oceanographic structure, even over spatial scales of tens of kilometers, can affect composition and shift species dominance in benthic communities. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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