First evidence of reproductive success in a southern invader indicates possible community shifts among Arctic zooplankton

Abstract

Pelagic zooplankton were monitored from 2000 to 2012 at a permanent location near the Svalbard archipelago, at the boundary between the central Arctic Ocean and the Greenland Sea in the eastern Fram Strait. The temporal results reveal the first evidence of successful reproduc- tion in Arctic waters by an Atlantic pelagic crustacean from temperate waters. The Atlantic hyperid amphipod Themisto compressa is shown to have expanded its range from more southerly and warmer waters from 2004 onwards. Successful reproductive activity by T. compressa in Arctic waters was confirmed in 2011, indicated by the presence of a complete temporal series of develop- mental stages including ovigerous females and recently hatched juveniles. The Arctic amphipod community is currently in transition and a continuing northward spread of southern invaders could cause a biodiversity shift from large Arctic to smaller Atlantic species.