Preliminary study on community structures of meiofauna in the middle and eastern Chukchi Sea

• Published in: Acta oceanologica Sinica Vol. 40; no. 6; pp. 83 - 91
• Main Authors: Huang, Dingyong, Wang, Jianjia, Zeng, Qianhui, Xiao, Jiaguang, Tian, Peng, Fu, Sujing, Guo, Feng, Niu, Wentao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing The Chinese Society of Oceanography 01-06-2021; Springer Nature B.V; Third Institute of Oceanography,Ministry of Natural Resources,Xiamen 361005,China%Third Institute of Oceanography,Ministry of Natural Resources,Xiamen 361005,China; Ocean College,Shandong University,Weihai 264209,China%Key Laboratory of the Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem of Ministry of Education,Xiamen University,Xiamen 361005,China
• Subjects: Abundance; Arctic research; Benthos; Biomass; Channel opening; Chemical analysis; Climate change; Climatology; Continental shelves; Cores; Dry weight; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Ecology; Engineering Fluid Dynamics; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental factors; Expeditions; Global warming; Human impact; Marginal seas; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; Marine ecosystems; Marine invertebrates; Meiobenthos; Meiofauna; Nematodes; Nutrient concentrations; Oceanography; Oceans; Population number; Research expeditions; Seawater; Sediment; Sediment samples; Shallow water; Summer; Surveying; Vertical distribution; Water analysis; Arctic Ocean; Chukchi Sea; Arctic region; Arctic Ocean; meiofauna; community structure; Chukchi Sea; abundance
• ISSN: 0253-505X; 1869-1099
• DOI: 10.1007/s13131-021-1777-3

Sediment core samples were collected from 17 stations in the middle and eastern Chukchi Sea during the sixth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE-Arctic) in summer 2014. The samples were analyzed for composition, abundance, biomass, vertical distribution, size spectra, and ecological indexes of meiofauna. A total of 14 meiofauna taxa were detected, and the free-living marine nematodes comprised the most dominant taxon, accounting for 97.21% of the average abundance. The abundance and biomass of meiofauna were within ranges of (218.12±85.83)−(7 239.38±1 557.15) ind./(10 cm
2
) and (130.28±52.17)−(3 309.56±1 751.80) μg/(10 cm
2
), with average values of (2 391.90±1 966.19) ind./(10 cm
2
) and (1 549.73±2 042.85) μg/(10 cm
2
) (according to dry weight) respectively. Furthermore, 91.26% of the individuals were distributed in the top layer of 0–5 cm of surface sediment, and 90.84% had sizes of 32–250 μm. Group diversity index of meiofauna in the survey area was low, and the variation of abundance was the main difference in meiofauna communities among all stations. Abundance and biomass of meiofauna were not significantly correlated with environmental factors except concentration of nutrient Si in bottom seawater. Abundance of meiofauna in shallow water of marginal seas in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean is likely at a same level and higher than that in most of China sea areas, suggesting that the shallow water of the summer Chukchi Sea is a continental shelf area with rich resources of meiofauna. The Chukchi Sea is important for studying the ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean and environmental responses. However, studies on meiofauna in the Chukchi Sea are still not enough, and in the future, natural and human disturbances may increase due to global warming, the Arctic channel opening, and other factors. Thus, more studies on meiofauna should be required, in order to know more about how the Arctic benthic community would alter.