Arctic sea ice biota : Design and evaluation of a mesocosm experiment

• Published in: Polar biology Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 151 - 159
• Main Author: WEISSENBERGER, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01.02.1998; Berlin Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Bacillariophyceae; Biological and medical sciences; Biomass; Biota; Chlamydomonas; Chlorophyceae; Freezing; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glaciers; Marine; Marine biology; Melosira arctica; Nematoda; Nitzschia frigida; Plankton; Sea ice; Sea water ecosystems; Synecology; Trophic levels; Arctic Ocean; PNE, Arctic Ocean; Finland; Finland, Rovaniemi; ANE, Finland; PN, Arctic; Marine environment; Protozoa; Food web; Faunal survey; Algae; Bacteria; Ice; Biomass; Concentration; Floral survey; Thallophyta; Chlorophyll a
• ISSN: 0722-4060; 1432-2056
• DOI: 10.1007/s003000050228

A mesocosm experiment (enclosure volume 220l) was designed such that sea ice inhabited by Arctic Sea ice organisms was formed and maintained under natural conditions at 66°N in Rovaniemi, Finland. The experiment was run from natural freezing in December 1994 to melting in April 1995. The ice was inhabited by diatoms, chlorophyceae, heterotrophic flagellates, ciliates, nematodes and turbellarians. Biomass in the ice, expressed as Chlorophyll a concentration, was 20-110μg l^sup -1^; total cell densities varied from 5×10^sup 6^to 35×10^sup 6^ cells l^sup -1^. Amongst phototrophic organisms, a succession from a flagellate-dominated community (Chlamydomonas sp.) to a multi-species diatom-dominated community was observed. Typical Arctic species such as Nitzschia frigida and Melosira arctica were present in the ice. Bacterial concentration varied between 2×10^sup 8^ and 7×10^sup 8^ cells l^sup -1^. At least two trophic levels were present in the ice.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]