The impact of predation on the structuring of Arctic intertidal soft-bottom communities

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Main Authors: Diaz Aguirre, María José, Molis, Markus, Buschbaum, Christian
Format: Dataset Open Access
Language:en
Published: PANGAEA 2022
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author Diaz Aguirre, María José
Molis, Markus
Buschbaum, Christian
author_facet Diaz Aguirre, María José
Molis, Markus
Buschbaum, Christian
collection Datos científicos de ciencias marinas y ambientales
contents Predation is a key modifier of community dynamics, but information on its magnitude in community regulation in systematically understudied Arctic coastal habitats is sparse. To test the magnitude and direction of predation effects on the diversity and structure of Arctic benthic communities, we conducted caging experiments in which consumers were excluded from plots at two intertidal sedimentary sites in Svalbard (Longyearbyen and Thiisbukta) for 2.5 months. At the end of the experiment, we took a sediment core from each plot and quantified the total biomass and, separately for each taxon encountered, the number of individuals. At both sites, the exclusion of predators changed the species composition of the communities, but had negligible effects on biomass, total abundance, species richness, evenness and Shannon index. In addition, we found spatial variability and artifact effects at both sites on several response variables.
format Dataset Open Access
id pangaea_https___doi_org_10_1594_PANGAEA_943807
institution PANGAEA
language en
publishDate 2022
publisher PANGAEA
record_format pangaea
spellingShingle The impact of predation on the structuring of Arctic intertidal soft-bottom communities
Diaz Aguirre, María José
Molis, Markus
Buschbaum, Christian
Benthos; consumption; environmental conditions; Soft-bottom community; Species interaction
Predation is a key modifier of community dynamics, but information on its magnitude in community regulation in systematically understudied Arctic coastal habitats is sparse. To test the magnitude and direction of predation effects on the diversity and structure of Arctic benthic communities, we conducted caging experiments in which consumers were excluded from plots at two intertidal sedimentary sites in Svalbard (Longyearbyen and Thiisbukta) for 2.5 months. At the end of the experiment, we took a sediment core from each plot and quantified the total biomass and, separately for each taxon encountered, the number of individuals. At both sites, the exclusion of predators changed the species composition of the communities, but had negligible effects on biomass, total abundance, species richness, evenness and Shannon index. In addition, we found spatial variability and artifact effects at both sites on several response variables.
title The impact of predation on the structuring of Arctic intertidal soft-bottom communities
topic Benthos; consumption; environmental conditions; Soft-bottom community; Species interaction
url https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.943807