Miss Ayla Murray1, Prof. Dr. Charlotte Havermans1,2
1Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar And Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany, 2University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Biography:
Ayla is a PhD Researcher in the Arctic Jellyfish research group at the AWI in Bremerhaven, Germany. Her research specializations are in molecular ecology and community ecology. The focus of her PhD project is to implement eDNA metabarcoding as a tool to survey Jellyfish Biodiversity and Distributions in the European side of the Arctic.
Abstract:
The marginal ice zone (MIZ) is a highly dynamic ecosystem and a transition zone between pack ice and the open ocean. It is a crucial habitat to a wide range of organisms including sympagic and pelagic taxa (e.g. algae, phytoplankton, meiofauna and zooplankton), all of which are affected by the changing physical dynamics of the MIZ. As Arctic marine ecosystems continue to change with rapid warming, the need to monitor shifts in biodiversity is increasing, especially in understudied and remote habitats such as the MIZ. Here we use a multi-marker (18S rRNA V1-2 and COI Leray-XT) approach to sequence environmental DNA extracted from seawater collected directly below the ice (0 m and 5 m). To investigate the abiotic drivers of under-ice communities, environmental data was collected from satellite databases, as well as simultaneous in situ CTD and MSS profiler measurements. We detected a range of sympagic and pelagic metazoans and primary producers typical to the region. Richness, evenness and levels of hidden diversity were higher directly below the ice compared to 5 m, and we found distinct communities depending on the ice floe and depth. We show that the properties of the meltwater stratification in the upper ocean, as well as sea-ice concentration and distance to the ice edge, have significant impacts on eukaryotic diversity and community composition in the MIZ. This study shows the versatility of multi-marker eDNA as a biodiversity monitoring tool in ice-covered environments, as well as understanding which environmental factors drive community composition in the MIZ.