Project record of Biodiversity and ecosystem function under changing climatic conditions - the Arctic as a model system

Information

Type
Project
Name
Biodiversity and ecosystem function under changing climatic conditions - the Arctic as a model system
Acronym
ArctEco
Description @en
Objectives 1. Produce a conceptual model of climate change effect on marine biodiversity in Arctic 2. Compile and disseminate taxonomic knowledge on Arctic areas Description of work Task 1: (leader IOPAS) Comparative study of two Svalbard fjords The comparative study of Kongsfjord (Atlantic) and Hornsund (Arctic) will focus on the pelagic system (from nannoplankton to top trophic levels), and on selected benthic habitats. The same habitats (e.g. intertidal rock pools, unvegetated soft, subtidal bottom, etc) in both fjords will be studied quantitatively to compare the structural differences (number of species, biodiversity indices, functional groups etc). Key ecosystem functions (primary production including size analyses and identification, pelago-benthic coupling, secondary production, reproduction, food web efficiency) will be studied and compared between the two fjords. Task2: (leader IOPAS) Taxon inventories at BIOMARE sites An All Taxon Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) will be compiled for Hornsund fjord, and temporal data series (from mid-1990’s to present) will be compiled for Kongsfjord. Taxonomists dealing with difficult groups will be invited to join the fieldwork and analyses. Special consideration will be given for poorly-studied groups such as Ciliata, naked Foraminifera, Turbellaria and other meiofauna organisms and the Hydrozoa. The molecular methods (e.g. genetic diversity on the population level) are going to be applied for selected macrofauna species. Task 3: (leader APN) Ecosystem functioning From open waters in the Barents Sea, east and south of Svalbard, biodiversity analyses of benthos, phytoplankton and zooplankton will be carried out (taxon inventories, community and functional group analyses). Existing time series data will be used to relate biodiversity with ice distribution and productivity. Using a variety of isotope and respiration analyses, sediment-biota interactions will be analysed, and food web pathways assessed. Also these will be related to phytoplankton or ice-algae-driven time periods. These data will be used to compile a conceptual model for different scenarios of climate and environmental change. Task 4: (leaders ECOSERVE/ VLIZ): Outreach and data management The joint scientific publications generated by WPs 1 and 2 will be linked to the MARBEF web site. Popular scientific material will be produced for the web site and at least two articles for the newsletters, outlining the project and the special role of Arctic ecosystems in European marine biodiversity. Joint data will be managed such that it is made available to the scientific community, for example via a common searchable taxonomic and geographical database.
Parent project
Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning - EU Network of Excellence
Start date
2005-9
End date
2008-12

Institutes & people involved

Weslawski Jan Marcin
associated with: Polish Academy of Sciences; Institute of Oceanology; Departement of Marine Ecology
role: Co-ordinator
Cochrane Sabine
associated with: Polar Environmental Centre; Akvaplan-niva; Biodiversity Group
role: Co-ordinator
Bonsdorff Erik
associated with: Abo Akademi University; Environmental and Marine Biology
Buchholz Friedrich
associated with: Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar- and Marine Research; Biololgical Station Helgoland
Féral Jean-Pierre
associated with: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Institut National de Science de l'Univers; Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille; Station Marine d'Endoume
Emblow Chris
associated with: Ecological Consultancy Services Ltd
Boxshall Geoff
associated with: Natural History Museum; Department of Zoology
Kendall Mike
associated with: Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Somerfield Paul
associated with: Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Wolowicz Maciej
associated with: University of Gdansk; Institute of Oceanography; Department of Marine Ecosystem Functioning; Laboratory of Estuarine Ecology
Vanden Berghe Edward
associated with: Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee
Falk-Petersen Stig
associated with: Norwegian Polar Institute
Berge Jørgen
associated with: The University Centre in Svalbard
Vuorinen Ilppo
associated with: University of Turku; Archipelago Research Institute
Jazdzewski Krzysztof
associated with: University of Lodz; Dept. Invertebrate Zoology & Hydrobiology; Laboratory of Polar Biology and Oceanobiology
Siciński Jacek
associated with: University of Lodz; Dept. Invertebrate Zoology & Hydrobiology; Laboratory of Polar Biology and Oceanobiology
Witkowski Andrzej
associated with: University of Szczecin

special collections

Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning

record metadata

date created: 2005-08-04
date modified: 2009-02-26