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Composition of bryozoan assemblages related to depth in Svalbard fjords and sounds

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Abstract

Svalbard bryozoan communities were investigated along a depth range from the surface to 296 m between the inner glacial fronts and fjord mouths during 2001 and 2002. The main study area was Kongsfjorden (79°N, 12°E). A total of 137 taxa of bryozoans were identified: 108 to species, 24 to genus, 3 to family, 1 to order and 1 to phylum level. Cluster and multidimensional scaling analyses revealed four distinct assemblages of bryozoans: shallow (0–40 m; 68 taxa), deep (40–296 m; 80 taxa), inner fjordic (three taxa) and an assemblage found on small stones in shallow waters (nine taxa). The inner fjordic assemblage was recorded from the front of tidal glaciers extending about 10 km out into the fjord. In terms of abundance, Celleporella hyalina Linnaeus dominated in shallow areas (18%), Hippothoa arctica Kluge (55%) in deep water, Alcyonidium disciforme Smitt (86%) proximate to glaciers fronts and Electra arctica Borg on small stones (98%). The species were classified according to their depth range as a stenobathic-shallow (46 taxa), stenobathic-deep (57 taxa) and eurybathic-generalist (21 taxa). Mean diversity measures did not show any significant differences between the shallow and deep communities. The bryozoan assemblages seem to be structured primarily by processes related to depth and sediment characteristics.

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Acknowledgements

Our special thanks are to Dr. Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Dr. David Barnes and Dr. Paul Taylor for comments leading to an improved manuscript. Thanks are also due to Dr. Adam Sokołowski (Gdańsk University, Poland), Bartosz Witalis (Sea Fishery Institute, Poland) for help with samples collection and great company. Work in Ny-Alesund Large Scale Facility (LSF) was supported by a grant from the European Commission’s programme (no. NP-51/2001). The study has been completed thanks to the funds provided by grant 3 PO4F 081 24 from Polish State Committee for Scientific Research, HIGHLAT grant to first author from the European Commission’s programme and funds from Otto Kinne Foundation.

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  1. Piotr Kuklinski

    Present address: Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul.Powstanców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland

    Piotr Kuklinski & Jan Marcin Weslawski

  2. The University Center on Svalbard, P.O. Box 156, 9171, Longyearbyen, Norway

    Piotr Kuklinski & Bjørn Gulliksen

  3. Department of Aquatic Biology, Norwegian College of Fishery Science, 9037, Tromsø, Norway

    Bjørn Gulliksen

  4. Institute of Marine Research, 9296, Tromsø, Norway

    Ole Jorgen Lønne

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  1. Piotr Kuklinski
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Correspondence to Piotr Kuklinski.

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Kuklinski, P., Gulliksen, B., Lønne, O.J. et al. Composition of bryozoan assemblages related to depth in Svalbard fjords and sounds. Polar Biol 28, 619–630 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-005-0726-5

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