Abstract
Our comparison of macrobenthic biomass, production and productivity of the Magellan region (14 - 349 m water depth) and the Weddell Sea (132 - 548 m water depth) is based on multi box corer samples collected in both areas. Biomass is slightly but not significantly lower in the Magellan region (7.3 g C m-2) than in the Weddell Sea (12.0 g C m-2). Annual production and P/B ratio are higher in the Magellan region (5.1 g C m-2 y-1, 0.7 y-1) as compared to the Weddell Sea (3.6 g C m-2 y-1, 0.3 y-1). In the Magellan region, Mollusca, Polychaeta and Arthropoda dominate benthic production, whereas in the Weddell Sea Polychaeta, Porifera and Echinodermata are the most productive taxa.
Highlights
South America was the last continent to be separated from Antarctica about 25 million years ago (Arntz et al, 1994)
Community energy flow is the focus of this study: We compare mean biomass (B), annual production (P) and productivity (P/B) of the shelf communities of the Magellan region and the Weddell Sea in order to identify differences in these community parameters and their distribution among major taxonomic groups in either area
In the Weddell Sea 39 stations were sampled along the eastern shelf (132 - 548 m water depth) between 1987 and 1991 using the same corer
Summary
South America was the last continent to be separated from Antarctica about 25 million years ago (Arntz et al, 1994). The actual distance between the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula is only about 1000 km. If we assume that there are still remains of ancient relations or even actual connections between non-. Antarctic and Antarctic benthic shelf fauna, the Magellan fauna is our prime suspect. Community energy flow is the focus of this study: We compare mean biomass (B), annual production (P) and productivity (P/B) of the shelf communities of the Magellan region and the Weddell Sea in order to identify differences in these community parameters and their distribution among major taxonomic groups in either area
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