Anna Jażdżewska

Soft bottom sublittoral amphipod fauna of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctic

The present analysis is based on 140 quantitative samples collected from depths of 20 to 500 m in the central basin of Admiralty Bay and its inner shallow area, Ezcurra Inlet. One hundred and twenty species were identified, of which 47 species were new for Admiralty Bay. Mean density of crustaceans decreased with depth. Highest species richness was observed at depths of 50–100 m. Historical data and present investigations revealed distinct differences in the amphipod assemblages at different depths. In the subtidal zone, Gondogeneia antarctica was the dominant species; in the shallow sublittoral (down to ca 50 m) Prostebbingia gracilis and Hippomedon kergueleni played an important role. Below 50 m, the importance of phoxocephalid species increased.

A genetic fingerprint of Amphipoda from Icelandic waters – the baseline for further biodiversity and biogeography studies

Abstract Amphipods constitute an abundant part of Icelandic deep-sea zoobenthos yet knowledge of the diversity of this fauna, particularly at the molecular level, is scarce. The present work aims to use molecular methods to investigate genetic variation of the Amphipoda sampled during two IceAGE collecting expeditions. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) of 167 individuals originally assigned to 75 morphospecies was analysed. These targeted morhospecies were readily identifiable by experts using light microscopy and representative of families where there is current ongoing taxonomic research. The study resulted in 81 Barcode Identity Numbers (BINs) (of which >90% were published for the first time), while Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery revealed the existence of 78 to 83 Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs). Six nominal species (Rhachotropis helleri, Arrhis phyllonyx, Deflexilodes tenuirostratus, Paroediceros propinquus, Metopa boeckii, Astyra abyssi) appeared to have a molecular variation higher than the 0.03 threshold of both p-distance and K2P usually used for amphipod species delineation. Conversely, two Oedicerotidae regarded as separate morphospecies clustered together with divergences in the order of intraspecific variation. The incongruence between the BINs associated with presently identified species and the publicly available data of the same taxa was observed in case of Paramphithoe hystrix and Amphilochus manudens. The findings from this research project highlight the necessity of supporting molecular studies with thorough morphology species analyses.

Pontogammarus robustoides (G.O. Sars, 1894) (Crustacea, Amphiopoda), a new Ponto-Caspian invader in Great Masurian Lakes (NE Poland)

Recently Pontogammarus robustoides, a Ponto-Caspian amphipod species that has invaded Baltic lagoons and lower Vistula River at the end of 20th century, abundantly appeared in some water bodies of the Great Masurian Lakes area.

Amphipod family distributions around Iceland

Abstract Amphipod crustaceans were collected at all 55 stations sampled with an epibenthic sledge during two IceAGE expeditions (Icelandic marine Animals: Genetics and Ecology) in 2011 and 2013. In total, 34 amphipod families and three superfamilies were recorded in the samples. Distribution maps are presented for each taxon along with a summary of the regional taxonomy for the group. Statistical analyses based on presence/absence data revealed a pattern of family distributions that correlated with sampling depth. Clustering according to the geographic location of the stations (northernmost North Atlantic Sea and Arctic Ocean) can also be observed. IceAGE data for the Amphilochidae and Oedicerotidae were analysed on species level; in case of the Amphilochidae they were compared to the findings from a previous Icelandic benthic survey, BIOICE (Benthic Invertebrates of Icelandic waters), which also identified a high abundance of amphipod fauna.

The first report on Amphipoda from Marian Cove, King George Island, Antarctic

This is a first account on amphipods from Marian Cove in Maxwell Bay, near the King Sejong Station, King George Island, the Antarctic. We have conducted a survey in 14 localities in the shallow sublittoral zone. A total of 22 amphipod species belonging to 12 families were identified. Six of these species were new for the whole Maxwell Bay. Our findings increase the amphipod fauna of Maxwell Bay from 55 to 61 species. The dominant species in the shallow sublittoral zone of Marian Cove were: Cheirimedon femoratus and Gondogeneia antarctica, followed by Bovallia gigantea, Orchomenella cf. ultima, Paradexamine fissicauda, Prostebbingia brevicornis, Pariphimedia integricauda, and Jassa wandeli.

Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Asteroidea database

Abstract The present dataset is a compilation of georeferenced occurrences of asteroids (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in the Southern Ocean. Occurrence data south of 45°S latitude were mined from various sources together with information regarding the taxonomy, the sampling source and sampling sites when available. Records from 1872 to 2016 were thoroughly checked to ensure the quality of a dataset that reaches a total of 13,840 occurrences from 4,580 unique sampling events. Information regarding the reproductive strategy (brooders vs. broadcasters) of 63 species is also made available. This dataset represents the most exhaustive occurrence database on Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic asteroids.

A new predator connecting the abyssal with the hadal in the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, NW Pacific

The bathyal to hadal deep sea of north-west Pacific Ocean was recently intensively sampled during four international expeditions (KuramBio I and II, SoJaBio and SokhoBio). A large amphipod, Rhachotropis saskia n. sp., was sampled in the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and increases the number of described hadal species of that area to eight. A detailed description of the new species is provided, including illustrations, scanning-microscope images and molecular analysis. This predatory species was sampled at both continental and ocean abyssal margins of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench as well as at hadal depths of the trench. The wide bathymetric distribution of the new species over more than 3,000 m is confirmed by molecular analysis, indicating that the Kuril Kamchatka Trench is not a distribution barrier for this species. However, the molecular analysis indicated the presence of isolation by distance of the populations of the studied taxon.

Preface—biodiversity of Icelandic waters

This special issue focuses on the biodiversity of Icelandic waters and on the outcome of the IceAGE (Icelandic Animals: Genetics and Ecology) project. It presents international efforts to deepen our understanding of deep-water ecosystems and biodiversity patterns found in the region. The IceAGE project is a successor of BIOFAR and BIOICE studies that explored the biodiversity found on the continental shelves around the Faroe Islands and Iceland, respectively. In contrast, IceAGE is exploring the diversity of animals that live on the deep continental slope and in abyssal waters around Iceland. Information on the development of the IceAGE project, the geologic setting, and other scientific background is provided in detail in Brix et al. (2014a). Although the project encompasses basic questions about deep-sea biodiversity and correlation between genetic, morphological, and environmental patterns, several larger issues are central to the project. Namely, deep waters around Iceland include boreal, subarctic, and Arctic zones that hold discrete bodies of water. This allows for comparative studies of deep-sea ecosystems. How much variation exists between basins in the deep sea? Is there gene flow between deep-sea basins? Do we see the same patterns in the deep sea and the continental shelf? Importantly, the IceAGE project and its predecessors, BIOFAR and BIOICE, offer unprecedented baseline data for twomajor societal issues facing current and future generations. One is the impact of climate change on the deep sea. The northern Atlantic region around Iceland has long been known to be a critical region for regulation of the global thermohaline circulation. Recent reports have shown that human-mediated global climate change is already producing measurable changes in the circulation patterns in this region (Jochumsen et al. 2016). One of these largest changes concerns the formation of cold deep water (Lohmann and Gerdes 1998; Meehl et al. 2007; Winton 1997). With the loss of Arctic sea ice deepwater formation has slowed, presumably impacting the flow and chemistry moving along the study region. The second societal issue is deep-sea mining. There has been growing international interest in deep-sea resource extraction and mining operations are about to begin in some areas (Halfar and Fujita 2007; Mengerink et al. 2014; Nagender Nath and Sharma 2000). These operations, in particular, are targeting mid-ocean ridges and other geothermally active areas. The ridges around Iceland include such areas, e.g., the Reykjanes Ridge with hydrothermal vent sites. The extent of damage and loss of ecosystem services caused by mining activities cannot be adequately evaluated without baseline data. This special issue embedded in a topical collection of articles presents international efforts to collect and analyze biodiversity from the region that can enhance our understanding of deep-water ecosystems around Iceland. From the beginning in 2011, the IceAGE project relied on an international group of scientists who pursued the pre-determined objectives. One of the main tasks was the geoand time-referenced collection of marine invertebrates together with information on environmental parameters from different habitats around Iceland. In contrast to earlier projects, sampling was extended to deep waters north and south of Iceland, and specimens were no longer exclusively fixed in formalin but also in 96% ethanol. This allowed the use of a larger range of methods, as for example molecular methods (Riehl et al. 2014) in addition to various classical methods. This article is part of the Topical Collection on Biodiversity of Icelandic Waters by Karin Meißner, Saskia Brix, Ken M. Halanych and Anna Jazdzewska.