Publication Date:
2020-06-09
Description:
The natural environment of Antarctic seaweeds is characterized by
changing seasonal light conditions. The ability to adapt to this light regime is one of
the most important prerequisites for their ecological success. Thus, the persistence
of seaweeds depends on their capacity to maintain a positive carbon balance (CB)for buildup of biomass over the course of the year. A positive CB in Antarctica
occurs only during the ice-free period in spring and summer, when photosynthetically
active radiation (PAR, 400–700 nm) penetrates deeply into the water column. The
accumulated carbon compounds during this period are stored and remobilized to
support metabolism for the rest of the year.
Over the last decades climate warming has induced a severe glacial retreat in
Antarctica and has opened newly ice-free areas. Increased sediment runoff, and
reduced light penetration due to melting during the warmer months, may lead to a
negative CB with changes in the vertical distribution of seaweeds. Furthermore,
warmer winters and springs result in earlier sea-ice melt, causing an abrupt increase
in light, compensating the reduction in PAR in summer or increasing the annual
light budget. Studies performed in Potter Cove, Isla 25 de Mayo/King George
Island, reveal that algae growing in newly ice-free areas did not acclimate to the
changing light conditions. Lower or even negative CB values in areas close to the
glacier runoff seem to be primarily dependent on the incoming PAR that finally
determines the lower distribution limit of seaweeds. The present chapter discusses
how carbon balance respond to the changing Antarctic light environment and its
potential implications for the fate of benthic algal communities.
Repository Name:
EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
Type:
Inbook
,
peerRev
,
info:eu-repo/semantics/other
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