Composition and structure of the marine benthic community in Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica: Responses of the benthic assemblage to disturbances

PLoS One. 2019 Dec 2;14(12):e0225551. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225551. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

The community structure and assemblages of marine benthic organisms were investigated in coastal areas near the Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station in Terra Nova Bay during the 2012-2018 summer seasons. We also examined the recovery pattern of marine benthic organisms following disturbance due to the construction of the Jang Bogo Station. A total of 26 taxa were identified in the study area during the experimental period. Species number and diversity indices (richness, evenness, and diversity) were relatively low compared to data previously reported from Terra Nova Bay. Sphaerotylus antarcticus, Clavularia frankliniana, Hydractinia sp., Iridaea cordata, Fragilariopsis spp., Alcyonium antarcticum, and Metalaeospira pixelli were the dominant species in this area. Of these, the diatom Fragilariopsis spp. were the most abundant species, indicating their key role in maintaining the marine benthic community and controlling biogeochemical cycling. During the construction of the Jang Bogo Station, sediment coverage increased and diatoms declined due to the release of sediment into the coastal area. In February 2014, one month after the disturbance due to cyclone, the diatom coverage increased dramatically and thereby species number, richness index, and diversity index steadily rose from 2015 to 2018. However, non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination analysis of species similarities among sampling times showed that community structure had not completely recovered by 2018. Thus, long-term monitoring is required to elucidate the post-disturbance settlement mechanisms of marine benthic organisms at the study area in Terra Nova Bay.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antarctic Regions
  • Bays / microbiology*
  • Biota
  • Diatoms / isolation & purification*
  • Ecological Parameter Monitoring / statistics & numerical data*
  • Ecological Parameter Monitoring / trends
  • Geologic Sediments / microbiology
  • Phytoplankton / isolation & purification*
  • Seasons
  • Seawater / microbiology*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Korea Polar Research Institute KOPRI [research grants PE19150] to SK HGC JHK SRP and the 2019 scientific promotion program funded by Jeju National University to SRP. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.