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  • Water column features and their relationship with sediments and benthic communities along the Victoria Land coast, Ross Sea, summer 2004

Antarctic Science

Table of Contents - 2006 - Volume 18, Issue 04 (Special Issue: The Latitudinal Gradient Project (LGP))  

Special Issue: The Latitudinal Gradient Project (LGP)

Water column features and their relationship with sediments and benthic communities along the Victoria Land coast, Ross Sea, summer 2004

Paolo Povero a1c1, Michela Castellano a1a2, Nicoletta Ruggieri a1, Luis S. Monticelli a3, Vincenzo Saggiomo a4, Mariachiara Chiantore a1, Marta Guidetti a1a2 and Riccardo Cattaneo-Vietti a1
a1 Dipartimento per lo Studio del Territorio e delle sue Risorse (DIPTERIS), Università degli Studi di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genova, Italy
a2 Museo Nazionale dell'Antartide (sez. di Genova) Viale Benedetto XV 5, 16132 Genova -Italy
a3 Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero-CNR, Spianata S. Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
a4 Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale 80121, Naples, Italy

Article author query
povero p   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
castellano m   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
ruggieri n   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
monticelli ls   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
saggiomo v   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
chiantore m   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
guidetti m   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
cattaneo-vietti r   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 

Abstract

The northern Victoria Land coastal marine environment was investigated during the late summer 2004, within the framework of the Latitudinal Gradient Project (LGP), to describe the physical, chemical and biological patterns of the water column and their relationship with the pelagic and benthic compartments, and to determine to what extent they change with latitude. A latitudinal gradient from Cape Adare to the Terra Nova Bay–Cape Russell area was determined on the basis of abiotic and trophic factors. Cape Adare had lower values of organic matter (particulate organic carbon < 150 μg l−1) available for the benthic communities, but this organic matter had good trophic quality. In Terra Nova Bay the particulate organic matter was quantitatively higher (organic carbon > 400 μg l−1), presumably reaching the bottom via faecal pellets, but was more detrital, although its nutritive value was still high (carbon protein content nearly 40%), as confirmed by the great quantity of phytopigments in the sediments (> 4.0 μg g−1). The benthic communities changed with latitude as well, partially reflecting the environmental and trophic gradient, but also showing a large within-area variability (except for the Cape Adare area), due to a complex array of variables that did not change with latitude.

(Published Online November 14 2006)
(Received January 3 2006)
(Accepted June 19 2006)


Key Words: Antarctica; Latitudinal Gradient Project; pelagic-benthic coupling.

Correspondence:
c1 povero@unige.it

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