| Title | Body size and growth of benthic invertebrates along an Antarctic latitudinal gradient |
| Author | Linse, K.; Barnes, D.K.A.; Enderlein, P. |
| Author Affil | Linse, K., British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom. Other: Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Federal Republic of Germany |
| Source | EASIZ; ecology of the Antarctic sea ice zone. Deep-Sea Research. Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 53(8-10), p.921-931; [EASIZ; ecology of the Antarctic sea ice zone final symposium, Korcula, Croatia, Sept. 27- Oct. 1, 2004]; edited by A. Clarke, W.E. Arntz and C.R. Smith. Publisher: Elsevier, Oxford, International. ISSN: 0967- 0645 |
| Publication Date | Apr., 2006 |
| Notes | In English. Based on Publisher- supplied data GeoRef Acc. No: 301084 |
| Index Terms | Antarctica--Adelaide Island; Atlantic Ocean Islands--South Georgia; Southern Ocean; Adelaide Island; Antarctica; Atlantic Ocean Islands; benthic taxa; biogeography; Bryozoa; Celleporella bougainvillea; Echinodermata; Echinoidea; Echinozoa; ecology; faunal studies; Gastropoda; growth; Inversiula nutrix; Invertebrata; living taxa; Margarella antarctica; Mollusca; Nacella concinna; Scotia Sea Islands; size; South Georgia; Sterechinus neumayeri |
| Abstract | Much has been made of body-size variability with latitude, and extreme body sizes in polar waters, but body size has never been investigated along a latitudinal gradient within polar waters. The Scotia arc and Antarctic Peninsula are ideal for latitudinal studies, and a number of species extend along the length of this region. We studied body size in two gastropod molluscs, Margarella antarctica and Nacella concinna, an echinoid, Sterechinus neumayeri, and two bryozoans, Celleporella bougainvillea and Inversiula nutrix, at six sites from South Georgia to Adelaide Island (54-68°S). We hypothesised that size, age, and growth would not correlate with latitude, given the uniformity of conditions (i.e. temperature, dissolved oxygen, etc.) within the Polar Frontal Zone. We found significant differences in size of all five species among our study sites, but not a linear trend, nor one that correlated with latitude. In bryozoans, this result was because growth was positively and age negatively correlated with latitude-resulting in little difference in overall size. In the grazer organisms (the two gastropods and the echinoid) a correlation with local food availability (chlorophyll a concentration) did not correlate with latitude. Fecundity in the gastropod M. antarctica was positively correlated with body size, and body size also was influenced by food availability. We conclude that variation in body size in all five study taxa was governed by local factors such as food availability and competition and not by latitude. |
| URL | http://hdl.handle.net/10.1016/j.dsr2.2006.03.006 |
| Publication Type | conference paper or compendium article |
| Record ID | 88813 |