Data from: Shells of the bivalve Astarte moerchi give new evidence of a strong pelagic-benthic coupling shift occurring since the late 1970s in the NOW Polynya
Creators
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Olivier, frederic1
- Gaillard, Blandine2
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Thébault, Julien3
- Meziane, Tarik1
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Tremblay, Réjean4
- Dumont, Dany2
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Bélanger, Simon2
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Gosselin, Michel2
- Jolivet, Aurélie3
- Chauvaud, Laurent3
- Martel, André L.5
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Rysgaard, Søren6
- Olivier, Anne-Hélène7
- Pettré, Julien8
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Mars, Jérôme9
- Gerber, Silvain9
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Archambault, Philippe10
- 1. National Museum of Natural History
- 2. Université du Québec à Rimouski
- 3. University of Western Brittany
- 4. Université du Québec à Rimouski / ISMER*
- 5. Canadian Museum of Nature
- 6. University of Manitoba
- 7. University of Rennes 1
- 8. Inria Rennes - Bretagne Atlantique Research Centre
- 9. Grenoble Images Parole Signal Automatique
- 10. Université Laval
Description
Climate changes in the Arctic may weaken the currently tight pelagic-benthic coupling. In response to decreasing sea ice cover, arctic marine systems are expected to shift from a 'sea-ice algae-benthos' to a 'phytoplankton-zooplankton' dominance. We used mollusk shells as bioarchives and fatty acid trophic markers to estimate the effects of the reduction of sea ice cover on the exported food to the seafloor. Bathyal bivalve Astarte moerchi that lives at 600 m depth in northern Baffin Bay reveals a clear shift in growth variations and Ba/Ca ratios since the late 1970s that we relate to a change in food availability. Fatty acid compositions of tissues show that this species feeds mainly on microalgae exported from the euphotic zone to the seabed. We thus suggest that changes in pelagic-benthic coupling are likely due to either local changes in sea ice dynamics, mediated through bottom-up regulation exerted by sea ice on phytoplankton production or to a mismatch between phytoplankton bloom and zooplankton grazing due to change in their phenology. Both possibilities allow a more regular and increased transfer of food to the seabed.
Notes
Files
Sat_PP_Data_Figure_6.zip
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