David G. Ainley, Virginia Morandini, Leo Salas, Nadav Nur, Jay Rotella, Kerry Barton, Phil O'B. Lyver, Kimberly T. Goetz, Michelle Larue, Rose Foster-Dyer, Claire L. Parkinson, Kevin R. Arrigo, Gert Van Dijken, Roxanne S. Beltran, Stacy Kim, Cassandra Brooks, Gerald Kooyman, Paul J. Ponganis, Fiona Shanhun, Dean P. Anderson
{"title":"Response of indicator species to changes in food web and ocean dynamics of the Ross Sea, Antarctica","authors":"David G. Ainley, Virginia Morandini, Leo Salas, Nadav Nur, Jay Rotella, Kerry Barton, Phil O'B. Lyver, Kimberly T. Goetz, Michelle Larue, Rose Foster-Dyer, Claire L. Parkinson, Kevin R. Arrigo, Gert Van Dijken, Roxanne S. Beltran, Stacy Kim, Cassandra Brooks, Gerald Kooyman, Paul J. Ponganis, Fiona Shanhun, Dean P. Anderson","doi":"10.1017/s0954102024000191","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Most of the Ross Sea has been designated a marine protected area (MPA), proposed ‘to protect ecosystem structure and function’. To assess effectiveness, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) selected Adélie (<span>Pygoscelis adeliae</span>) and emperor (<span>Aptenodytes forsteri</span>) penguins, Weddell seals (<span>Leptonychotes weddellii</span>) and Antarctic toothfish (<span>Dissostichus mawsoni</span>) as ecosystem change ‘indicator species’. Stable for decades, penguin and seal populations increased during 1998–2018 to surpass historical levels, indicating that change in ecosystem structure and function is underway. We review historical impacts to population trends, decadal datasets of ocean climate and fishing pressure on toothfish. Statistical modelling for Adélie penguins and Weddell seals indicates that variability in climate factors and cumulative extraction of adult toothfish may explain these trends. These mesopredators, and adult toothfish, all prey heavily on Antarctic silverfish (<span>Pleuragramma antarcticum</span>). Toothfish removal may be altering intraguild predation dynamics, leading to competitive release of silverfish and contributing to penguin and seal population changes. Despite decades of ocean/weather change, increases in indicator species numbers around Ross Island only began once the toothfish fishery commenced. The rational-use, ecosystem-based viewpoint promoted by CCAMLR regarding toothfish management needs re-evaluation, including in the context of the Ross Sea Region MPA.</p>","PeriodicalId":50972,"journal":{"name":"Antarctic Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Antarctic Science","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954102024000191","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Most of the Ross Sea has been designated a marine protected area (MPA), proposed ‘to protect ecosystem structure and function’. To assess effectiveness, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) selected Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and emperor (Aptenodytes forsteri) penguins, Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) and Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) as ecosystem change ‘indicator species’. Stable for decades, penguin and seal populations increased during 1998–2018 to surpass historical levels, indicating that change in ecosystem structure and function is underway. We review historical impacts to population trends, decadal datasets of ocean climate and fishing pressure on toothfish. Statistical modelling for Adélie penguins and Weddell seals indicates that variability in climate factors and cumulative extraction of adult toothfish may explain these trends. These mesopredators, and adult toothfish, all prey heavily on Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum). Toothfish removal may be altering intraguild predation dynamics, leading to competitive release of silverfish and contributing to penguin and seal population changes. Despite decades of ocean/weather change, increases in indicator species numbers around Ross Island only began once the toothfish fishery commenced. The rational-use, ecosystem-based viewpoint promoted by CCAMLR regarding toothfish management needs re-evaluation, including in the context of the Ross Sea Region MPA.
期刊介绍:
Antarctic Science provides a truly international forum for the broad spread of studies that increasingly characterise scientific research in the Antarctic. Whilst emphasising interdisciplinary work, the journal publishes papers from environmental management to biodiversity, from volcanoes to icebergs, and from oceanography to the upper atmosphere. No other journal covers such a wide range of Antarctic scientific studies. The journal attracts papers from all countries currently undertaking Antarctic research. It publishes both review and data papers with no limits on length, two-page short notes on technical developments and recent discoveries, and book reviews. These, together with an editorial discussing broader aspects of science, provide a rich and varied mixture of items to interest researchers in all areas of science. There are no page charges, or charges for colour, to authors publishing in the Journal. One issue each year is normally devoted to a specific theme or papers from a major meeting.