Shallow-water benthic hydroids from Tethys Bay (Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea, Antarctica)

The shallow-water hydrozoan Antarctic fauna is still poorly studied, and available knowledge mostly refers to samples gathered by traditional ship-operated gears. By scuba diving in the coastal areas off the Italian Antarctic station “Mario Zucchelli” (Ross Sea, Terra Nova Bay), in the austral summer 2002–2003, a total of 20 hydrozoan species were found, belonging to 10 families and 13 genera. As hypothesized, Anthoathecata (11 species), usually under-represented in collections from indirect sampling gears, are common as also are Leptothecata (9 species). Hydractiniidae and Hydractinia are the dominant family and genus, followed by Haleciidae and Halecium. A new species to science, Halecium exaggeratum sp. nov. is also described. Most species are either endemic to Antarctic waters or restricted to Antarctic/sub-Antarctic areas; only two species have a wider distribution. Material reared in aquaria at the Italian Antarctic Base Mario Zucchelli facilitated knowledge of the life cycle and reproductive biology of several species. In particular, Opercularella belgicae was found to liberate a medusa stage referable to Phialella, and the species is assigned here to that genus, as Phialella belgicae. Also, extraordinary is the complete absence or scant representation of the most typical Antarctic benthic hydroid genera (Antarctoscyphus, Oswaldella, Schizotricha, Staurotheca, and Symplectoscyphus), likely related to the shallow limits of sampling (down to 48 m).     

Shallow- and deep-water mollusc distribution at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

The aim of this work is to improve the knowledge of the mollusc fauna of Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea), on the basis of more than 100 stations sampled from 25 to 1100 m depth, during Italian Antarctic Expeditions (austral summers 1987/1988, 1989/1990, 1993/1994, 1994/1995, 1995/1996 and 1997/1998). In shallow waters, gastropod fauna is represented by 31 species, among which Neobuccinum eatoni, Onoba gelida, Powellisetia deserta, Philine cf. apertissima and Austrodoris kerguelenensis are the most abundant, while among bivalves (25 species) the commonest species are Adamussium colbecki, Yoldia eightsi, Laternula elliptica and “Montacuta”nimrodiana. At present, most of the Antarctic mollusc species are known as having circumantarctic distribution and are considered eurybathic. Moreover, in general, only scarce data are available on their substrate preferences, because of their occurrence in scattered sampling stations with different sediment features. In the present study carried out at Terra Nova Bay, based on a relatively high number of stations, a clear zonation of mollusc assemblages is shown, according to depth and sediment features. While gastropods characterise the superficial algal belts dominated by the red algae Iridaea cordata and Phyllophora antarctica, bivalve distribution is wider. Adamussium colbecki is the dominant species in the upper 100 m, both on soft and hard bottoms, if the slope is suitable (density up to 40–60 ind./m²). On coarse sands, this species is frequently accompanied by L. elliptica (density <20 ind./m²), while Y. eightsi characterises organic- enriched bottoms (density 70–80 ind./m²). Below 200 m depth Adacnarca nitens, Limatula hodgsoni, “Montacuta”nimrodiana and Mysella gibbosa are commonly found on relatively coarse sediments, while Thyasira dearborni and Yoldiella ecaudata prefer muddy bottoms. In order to identify bivalve assemblages, multivariate analyses were applied to stations grouped into depth ranges, sediment features and location. While shallow bathymetric ranges (25–200 m) are clearly defined, deeper clusters of stations are more influenced by the high degree of eurybathy of most of the species and by the scattered distribution of the sediment particle sizes. Accepted: 18 September 1999     

The macrophytobenthos of Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea,Antarctica): results of three Italian scientific expeditions

Abstract

The results of a study on the benthic macroalgal flora and vegetation of Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea) carried out during the Italian expeditions to Antarctica made in the years 1987/88, 1989/90 and 1993/94, are presented. The flora is rather poor (9 Rhodophyceae, 4 Fucophyceae, 4 Chlorophyceae), but richer than that known from adjacent areas. The vegetation is on the whole characterized by a prevalence of sciaphilous species among which Iridaea cordata, Phyllophora antarctica and Clathromorphum lemoineanum dominating in the upper infralittoral, lower infralittoral and circalittoral zones, respectively. Moreover, the results of a study on biomass of a population of I. cordata as well as of a population of P. antarctica, carried out in the austral summer 1993/94, are reported too. The values of the biomass of the population of I. cordata resulted to vary inversely with respect to those of the population of P. antarctica.     

Sea urchins, sea stars and brittle stars from Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

Although echinoderms constitute some of the most conspicuous taxa of the Antarctic benthic communities, the echinoderm fauna of Terra Nova has not been described yet. The present study provides the first species list of echinoids, ophiuroids and asteroids from Terra Nova Bay (30–500 m depth) and describes the depth distribution of these species. Preliminary observations of the summer reproductive condition of some of the species are also included.     

Copepods in spring annual sea ice at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea,Antarctica)

The aim of this study was to investigate patterns of abundance, distribution, temporal changes and species composition of the dominant ice-associated copepods in the spring annual pack ice, platelet ice and water column at Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea, during late spring 1997. Ice cores were drilled for temporal and spatial scales. Stephos longipes and Harpacticus furcifer dominated the sea ice meiofauna in terms of numbers in the lower few centimeters of the bottom ice associated with high chlorophyll a and phaeopigment levels. Nauplii dominated the S. longipes population (91.6%) and occurred in extremely high concentrations. In contrast, copepodids were the dominant stages in H. furcifer. How H. furcifer carries out its entire life cycle and how it differs from ecologically similar species such as Drescheriella glacialis should be examined in more detail.     

A new Polygordius (Annelida: Polychaeta) from Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea, Antarctica

Polygordius antarcticus sp. nov. is described from benthic material collected at depths ranging between 31 and 61 m in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea, during the 1987–1988 and 1988–1989 expeditions of the Italian National Research Program in Antarctica. This is the first named species of the genus from Antarctic waters. Although no fully mature specimens were available, the new species appears unique in combining the following features: a regular pygidium, inflated and with a single ring of round adhesive pads, a conical prostomium with short antennae (only half as long as the prostomium) and shallow head fold, and a well-developed circulatory apparatus, with circumoesophageal commissures entering the prostomium and long intersegmental commissures insinuating into the ventrolateral compartments of the trunk. These and other significant features were investigated by light and scanning electron microscopy. In the construction of the head and the scheme of the blood system, the new species resembles Polygordius triestinus Woltereck, described by Hempelmann in 1906, an aberrant species inhabiting muddy, anoxic sediments in the Adriatic Sea, but it differs significantly from it in the shape of the mouth (in P. triestinus the upper lip is hypertrophied and strongly protruding) and the pygidium (in P. triestinus this region is stump-like and non-adhesive). The pygidium of P. antarcticus sp. nov. is encircled by 28–30 small adhesive pads, each with 15–20 glandular openings. Preterminal cirri are lacking, as are perianal appendages. The anus is surrounded by six to seven lobes of which the midventral is largest and longest. A world distribution map of the genus is provided. Accepted: 27 August 1998     

Polychaete populations of the shallow soft bottoms off Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica): distribution, diversity and biomass

 Diversity, distribution and biomass patterns of polychaetes were studied in the shallow soft bottoms off Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica). Benthic samples, collected in the austral summer 1989–1990, were sampled using a Van Veen grab at 14 stations distributed between 23- and 194-m depth. A total of 5,768 individuals of polychaetes belonging to 77 species were found. The species richness recorded was high, despite the few biotopes investigated at Terra Nova Bay in this study, especially when compared to that recorded from previous investigations in the same area and from the whole Ross Sea (146 species). Despite the high number of species found, only a few species accounted for 76% of the total abundance: Tharyx cincinnatus (27%), Spiophanes tcherniai (23%), Leitoscoloplos mawsoni (18%) and Laonice weddellia (5%) were mainly distributed in the deeper stations (below 100-m depth), while Aglaophamus ornatus (3%) was the only species abundant in the shallowest stations (above 50-m depth), characterized by gravels and coarse sands. Species richness, diversity and evenness showed an increase with depth. Abundances ranged between 40 to over 12,000 ind/m². Biomass values ranged between 0.9 to 176 g/m² (wet weight). A trophic-guild classification revealed the occurrence of various feeding categories that were, however, numerically dominated by deposit feeders with both discretely motile epiand endobenthic forms, and sessile ones. Both the Bray-Curtis similarity and Correspondence (C.A.) analyses showed stations ordered according to depth and to the local dominance of some species. Both poorly and well-structured polychaete assemblages occurred and they seemed related to depth-related factors, such as degree of environmental disturbance (shallowest bottoms vs deep ones), heterogeneity of the substrate and habitat complexity (gravel and coarse sands vs mixed sediment. The richest and most diverse assemblages of polychaetes were those occurring below 140-m depth, where the substrate was dominated by medium sands, often mixed with a mosaic of rocks and boulders. Received: 30 October 1995/Accepted: 1 May 1996     

Biodiversity of cultivable psychrotrophic marine bacteria isolated from Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

A set of 146 Antarctic marine isolates from the Ross Sea was characterized by a combination of molecular techniques in order to determine the degree of inter- and intraspecific variability. Isolates were analyzed by amplified rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) using the tetrameric enzyme AluI, resulting in 52 different groups, corresponding to at least 52 different bacterial species, indicating a high degree of interspecific variability. The phylogenetic position of bacteria belonging to some ARDRA groups was obtained by sequencing of 16S rDNA. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, carried out on the largest ARDRA groups, revealed a high intraspecific genetic variability, too. The analysis of plasmid content revealed the existence of horizontal gene transfer between strains belonging to the same and to different species. A comparison of the whole body of morphological, physiological and biochemical data was finally carried out.     

Growth form analysis of epiphytic diatom communities of Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

Diatoms have been long collected from the Southern Ocean but almost no data exist for epiphytic communities, despite their high ecological significance as an important food source in Antarctic coastal food chains. Here, we present a first growth form analysis of diatoms associated with rhodophyte hosts from Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea, Antarctica. We performed this study to gather baseline information on the species composition of epiphytic diatom communities, determine the influence of some environmental variables on the diatom distribution patterns, and assess the caveats that must be taken into account in terms of sampling design. Macroalgal material was collected during the Italian Antarctic expeditions between 1990 and 2004. Epiphytic diatoms were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy. In terms of growth forms, there were no significant differences between the diatom communities on the different macroalgal host species. Motile (mainly small-celled Navicula perminuta and other Navicula spp.) and adnate (Cocconeis spp.) diatoms dominated the community throughout the study period. Many of the macroalgal blades examined were also covered by epiphytic animals (calcareous bryozoans, hydroids) over most of their surface, with a significant effect on the associated diatom community structure. Our findings suggest that the bio-physicochemical characteristics of each sampling site affected the epiphytic diatom communities more than the substrate type provided by the macroalgal host or the sampling depth.     

Psychrotrophic bacteria from a coastal station in the Ross sea (Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica).

Seawater samples were collected from a fixed, coastal station in the Terra Nova Bay at different depths during the Xth Oceanographic Cruise in the 1994-95 Antarctic summer. Picoplanktonic abundance, estimated by direct counts in epifluorescence microscopy, ranged from 2.2 x 10(7) to 1.6 x 10(8) cells.l-1. The heterotrophic bacterial densities, evaluated on Marine Agar 2216 (Difco) after incubation at +4 degrees C for 21 days, ranged from 2 x 10(3) to 4.5 x 10(6) CFU.l-1. The qualitative composition of the heterotrophic bacterial community was studied on 64 morphological and biochemical characters of the 125 strains isolated. Heterotrophic, psychrotrophic isolates were tentatively identified at genus level as Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Acinetobacter, and Flavobacterium/Cytophaga. In order to compare the characteristics of the isolates with those previously studied during 1989/90, the synthetical indices of the structure and the metabolic potentiality of the heterotrophic bacterial community were processed. Results showed that the bacterial community was metabolically more active and more homogenous than that previously studied.     

Total and hydrolizable particulate organic matter (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids) at a coastal station in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

We analysed quantity and quality of particulate organic matter during the austral summer 1994/1995 at a coastal station in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica). Our main aims were to investigate the origin and biochemical composition of particulate organic matter (POM), to measure its availability for consumers through the study of its digestible fraction (measured by using different enzymes separately) and to highlight the role of hydrolizable compounds in the organic matter diagenesis in the coastal waters at Terra Nova Bay. Temporal and spatial patterns of chlorophyll-a concentrations were reflected by the particulate organic carbon, nitrogen and total biopolymeric carbon concentrations, suggesting that most POM originated directly from phytoplankton. The most evident feature of POM in the coastal waters at Terra Nova Bay was the dominance of proteins (on average 57% of total biopolymeric particulate carbon), followed by carbohydrates (25%) and lipids (18%). We found that about 30% of the refractory particulate organic carbon (assumed to be present only after the complete exploitation of particulate organic nitrogen) did not originate from biopolymeric carbon (as sum of carbohydrate, protein and lipid carbon). This allows us to suggest the use of the digestible fraction of particulate biopolymeric carbon as a more accurate measure of the food availability of POM for consumers. In Terra Nova Bay coastal waters, most of the particulate protein pool was associated with large phytoplankton cells or phytodetritus. As a result, the protein pool appeared less available (i.e. less digestible) than the one present in oligotrophic waters where, conversely, most particulate organic nitrogen is sequestered into bacteria. The relative low availability of the protein pool, together with the rapid sinking of POM and the low remineralization rates of benthic heterotrophic microbes, are suggested as possible factors in determining the “inefficiency” in organic matter recycling of coastal waters at Terra Nova Bay, which behaves as a “loss type” system. Received: 17 June 1997 / Accepted 25 September 1997     

Organic matter composition in coastal sediments at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea) during summer 1995

We illustrate the spatial and vertical distribution of sediment phytopigments and organic matter biochemical composition at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea) during summer 1995. Coastal sediments displayed high phytopigments concentrations associated with huge amounts of labile organic matter largely dominated by proteins. This result was opposite to previous observations in the same area. Such comparison suggested that whilst organic matter quantity in the sediments depended upon the vertical input from the water column, temporal changes in its biochemical composition were related to benthic processes. As considerably high concentrations of biopolymeric organic carbon were found even at 6-cm depth and according to the “loss type” functioning of the coastal waters of the Ross Sea, we stress the summer time occurrence in coastal sediments of an important organic matter burial. Accepted: 24 October 1999     

Age and productivity of the Antarctic scallop, Adamussium colbecki, in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

Body size, geographical distribution, and biomass make Adamussium colbecki (Smith, 1902) one of the most conspicuous bivalve species in the Antarctic. Based on samples collected in austral summer 1999/2000 in Terra Nova Bay, the annual formation of shell growth bands visible on X-ray photographs was verified by stable isotope analysis. A general von Bertalanffy growth function was fitted to size-at-age data of 25 individuals (H_∞=108.86 mm, K=0.114 year⁻¹, t₀=−0.367, D=1.284). Somatic production calculated from mass-specific growth rates was 234.6 kJ m⁻² year⁻¹. Gonadal productivity amounted to 70.92 kJ m⁻² year⁻¹. Annual somatic and gonad production-to-biomass ratios (P/B) were 0.199 and 0.052, respectively. According to its consumption and production, A. colbecki is likely to play a significant role in the trophic web of Terra Nova Bay.     

Distribution and abundance of postlarval and juvenile Pleuragramma antarcticum (Pisces, Nototheniidae) off Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

During the Italian Antarctic Expedition of 1987–1988 zooplankton was collected in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea) by a multinet BIONESS (250-μm or 500-μm net mesh size). The early life history of Pleuragramma antarcticum was described from 268 samples. More than 98% of a total of 34,436 fish larvae belonged to P. antarcticum. The mean relative abundance in the whole area for positive 0 to 150-m hauls was 434 ind./100 m³ (±720 SD). Postlarvae were most abundant and frequent in the samples (99.8%) while low concentrations of juveniles were found (n=67). Length of age group 0 ranged from 8 to 20 mm and age group 1+ were from 36 to 53 mm. Average growth rate over a period of 1 year was 0.08 mm per day. Based on modal values, the mean daily increment of P. antarcticum postlarvae in the period 5 January to 2 February (29 days) was about 0.21 mm. Highest abundances occurred near Cape Washington (mean: 2,108 ind./100 m³) while lower densities were recorded in the northern basin of the self (31 ind./100 m³). Horizontal and vertical distribution patterns in Terra Nova Bay seem to be strictly correlated to hydrographic features and different water masses with highest densities associated with the westward flowing current of the limb of the Antarctic coastal current and southern limb of the Ross Sea Gyre. These currents become part of the clockwise gyre in Terra Nova Bay. More than 62% of the postlarvae were collected in well-stratified warm surface water (0–50 m) near the summertime thermocline (20–70 m). The northern part of Terra Nova Bay seems to represent nursery ground of early stages of P. antarcticum and the presence of permanent polynya could provide favourable food conditions for development of the first stages of life. Differing distribution patterns probably reflect an interaction of various parameters including bathymetry, floating ice shelf, hydrographic features such as currents, local eddies and frontal systems, with P. antarcticum postlarval biology (spawning) and ecology (feeding, horizontal and vertical distribution patterns). Received: 10 June 1996 / Accepted: 19 July 1997     

Adaptive morphology of Capulus subcompressus Pelseneer, 1903 (Gastropoda: Capulidae) from Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea (Antarctica)

Capulus subcompressus Pelseneer, 1903 (Gastropoda: Capulidae) is a small epibiont gastropod living at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea) down to 540 m on the calcareous tubes of its unique host, the serpulid Serpula narconensis Baird, 1865. This polychaete forms bush-like aggregates which host a rich microfauna of crustaceans, hydroids and molluscs. In contrast to all other capulids, C. subcompressus shows an evident oval shell aperture, which is due to an allometric growth that can be imputed to the Serpula tube morphology. Since the allometric growth is detectable in all size classes, it could be deduced that the compressed shape of the C. subcompressus shell is the stable result of a significant evolutionary history which binds tightly these two species in Antarctic waters. Accepted: 17 July 1999     

Lipolytic activity of Antarctic cold-adapted marine bacteria (Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea)

AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the lipolytic activity of cold-adapted Antarctic marine bacteria and, furthermore, the combined effect of some environmental factors on this enzymatic process. METHODS AND RESULTS: Strains were assayed for lipolytic activity on a basal medium amended with seven individual fatty acid esters. A significant activity was observed for 148 isolates (95.5% of the total screened). The interactive effect of pH, temperature and NaCl concentration on the substrates was tested for six representative isolates, identified as Pseudoalteromonas, Psychrobacter and Vibrio. Differences between strains according to NaCl and pH tolerances were observed. Only one strain degraded the substrate more efficiently at 4 degrees C than at 15 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that the lipolytic activity of Antarctic marine bacteria is rather variable, depending on culture conditions, and occurs in a wide range of salt concentration and pH. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Isolation and characterization of bacteria that are able to efficiently remove lipids at low temperatures will provide insight into the possibility to use cold-adapted bacteria as a source of exploitable enzymes. Moreover, research on the interactive effects of salt concentration, pH and temperature will be useful to understand the true enzyme potentialities for industrial applications.     

Structural and functional properties of sympagic communities in the annual sea ice at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

Studies on the chemical and biological properties of annual pack ice at a coastal station in Terra Nova Bay (74°41.72′S, 164°11.63′E) were carried out during austral spring at 3-day intervals from 5 November to 1 December 1997. Temporal changes of nutrient concentrations, algal biomasses, taxonomic composition, photosynthetic pigment spectra and P–E relationships were studied. Quantity, composition and degradation rates of organic matter in the intact sea ice were also investigated. In addition, microcosm experiments were carried out to evaluate photosynthetic and photo-acclimation processes of the sympagic flora in relation to different light regimes. High concentrations of ammonia were measured in four ice-cores (weighted mean values of the cores ranged from 4.3 ± 1.9 μM to 7.2 ± 3.4 μM), whereas nitrate and phosphate displayed high concentrations (up to 35.9 μM and 7.6 μM, respectively) only in the bottom layer (135–145 cm depth). Particulate carbohydrate and protein concentrations in the intact sea ice ranged from 0.5 to 2.3 mg l⁻¹ and 0.2 to 2.0 mg l⁻¹, respectively, displaying a notable accumulation of organic matter in the bottom colored layer, where bacterial enzymatic activities also reached the highest values. Aminopeptidase activity was extremely high (up to 19.7 μM l⁻¹ h⁻¹ ± 0.05 in the bottom layer), suggesting a rapid turnover rate of nitrogen–enriched organic compounds (e.g. proteins). By contrast, bacterial secondary production was low, suggesting that only a very small fraction of mobilized organic matter was converted into bacterial biomass (<0.01‰). The sympagic autotrophic biomass (in terms of chlorophaeopigments) of the bottom layer was high, increasing during the sampling period from 680 to 2480 μg l⁻¹. Analyses of pigments performed by HPLC, as well as microscope observations, indicated that diatoms dominated bottom communities. The most important species were Amphiprora sp. and Nitschia cfr. stellata. Bottom sympagic communities showed an average P ^B _max of 0.12 mgC mg Chl⁻¹ and low photoadaptation index (E _k=18 μE m⁻² s⁻¹, E _m=65 μE m⁻² s⁻¹). Results of the microcosm experiment also indicated that communities were photo-oxidized when irradiance exceeded 100 μE m⁻² s⁻¹. This result suggests that micro- autotrophs inhabiting sea ice might have a minor role in the pelagic algal blooms. Accepted: 4 August 1999     

Land forcing controls pelagic-benthic coupling in Adelie Cove (Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea)

Benthic-pelagic coupling processes were studied in Adelie Cove, a small 70-m deep V-shaped bay, located on the coast of Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea). This cove is set apart from the open sea by a 12- to 15-m deep sill. Samplings were carried out over 20 days in summer 1997/1998 in the water column, in the sediment and in material collected from the sea-bottom interface by means of a sediment trap. Benthic communities were studied mainly using ROV video tapes. The complex and peculiar interactions between physical, chemical and biological processes, both in the water column and in the sediments, were tightly linked to a katabatic wind pattern, which is the main constraint in water mass circulation. A clear evolution in organic matter distribution and composition was observed. These processes led to a high build-up of materials in the sediments in the deepest part of the cove, which favoured deposit-feeding species and largely contributed to the organic enrichment of the sediments.