Unexpected Levels of Biological Activity during the Polar Night Offer New Perspectives on a Warming Arctic

Type Article
Date 2015-10
Language English
Author(s) Berge Jorgen1, 2, Daase Malin1, Renaud Paul E.2, 3, Ambrose William G., Jr.3, 4, Darnis Gerald3, Last Kim S.5, Leu Eva3, Cohen Jonathan H.6, Johnsen Geir2, 7, Moline Mark A.6, Cottier Finlo1, 5, Varpe Oystein2, 3, Shunatova Natalia8, Balazy Piotr9, Morata Nathalie10, Massabuau Jean-Charles11, 12, Falk-Petersen Stig2, Kosobokova Ksenia13, Hoppe Clara J. M.14, Weslawski Jan Marcin9, Kuklinski Piotr9, Legezynska Joanna9, Nikishina Daria8, Cusa Marine1, Kedra Monika9, Wlodarska-Kowalczuk Maria9, Vogedes Daniel1, 2, Camus Lionel3, Tran Damien11, 12, Michaud Emma10, Gabrielsen Tove M.2, Granovitch Andrei8, Gonchar Anya8, Krapp Rupert1, Callesen Trine A.2
Affiliation(s) 1 : UiT Arctic Univ Norway, Fac Biosci Fisheries & Econ, N-9037 Tromso, Norway.
2 : Univ Ctr Svalbard, N-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway.
3 : Fram Ctr Climate & Environm, Akvaplan Niva, N-9296 Tromso, Norway.
4 : Bates Coll, Dept Biol, Lewiston, ME 04240 USA.
5 : Scottish Assoc Marine Sci, Scottish Marine Inst, Oban PA37 1QA, Argyll, Scotland.
6 : Univ Delaware, Sch Marine Sci & Policy, Lewes, DE 19958 USA.
7 : Norwegian Univ Sci & Technol, Trondheim Biol Stn, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway.
8 : St Petersburg State Univ, Fac Biol, Dept Invertebrate Zool, St Petersburg 199034, Russia.
9 : Polish Acad Sci, Inst Oceanol, PL-81712 Sopot, Poland.
10 : IUEM, CNRS IRD UBO Ifremer, Lab Sci Environm Marin LEMAR, UMR 6539,Technopole Brest Iroise, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
11 : Univ Bordeaux, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33400 Talence, France.
12 : CNRS, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33400 Talence, France.
13 : Russian Acad Sci, Inst Oceanol, Moscow 117997, Russia.
14 : Helmholtz Ctr Polar & Marine Res, Alfred Wegener Inst, D-27570 Bremerhaven, Germany.
Source Current Biology (0960-9822) (Cell Press), 2015-10 , Vol. 25 , N. 19 , P. 2555-2561
DOI 10.1016/j.cub.2015.08.024
WOS© Times Cited 138
Abstract The current understanding of Arctic ecosystems is deeply rooted in the classical view of a bottom-up controlled system with strong physical forcing and seasonality in primary-production regimes. Consequently, the Arctic polar night is commonly disregarded as a time of year when biological activities are reduced to a minimum due to a reduced food supply. Here, based upon a multidisciplinary ecosystem-scale study from the polar night at 79 degrees N, we present an entirely different view. Instead of an ecosystem that has entered a resting state, we document a system with high activity levels and biological interactions across most trophic levels. In some habitats, biological diversity and presence of juvenile stages were elevated in winter months compared to the more productive and sunlit periods. Ultimately, our results suggest a different perspective regarding ecosystem function that will be of importance for future environmental management and decision making, especially at a time when Arctic regions are experiencing accelerated environmental change [1].
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Author's final draft 24 938 KB Open access
Publisher's official version 8 1 MB Open access
Document S1. Supplemental Experimental Procedures, Figures S1–S3, and Table S1. 12 685 KB Open access
Movie S1. Time-Lapse Video of Scavengers Feeding on an Atlantic Cod Filmed in Kongsfjorden, in January 2015, Related to Figure 2. 13 MB Open access
Document S2. Article plus Supplemental Information. 20 2 MB Open access
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Berge Jorgen, Daase Malin, Renaud Paul E., Ambrose William G., Jr., Darnis Gerald, Last Kim S., Leu Eva, Cohen Jonathan H., Johnsen Geir, Moline Mark A., Cottier Finlo, Varpe Oystein, Shunatova Natalia, Balazy Piotr, Morata Nathalie, Massabuau Jean-Charles, Falk-Petersen Stig, Kosobokova Ksenia, Hoppe Clara J. M., Weslawski Jan Marcin, Kuklinski Piotr, Legezynska Joanna, Nikishina Daria, Cusa Marine, Kedra Monika, Wlodarska-Kowalczuk Maria, Vogedes Daniel, Camus Lionel, Tran Damien, Michaud Emma, Gabrielsen Tove M., Granovitch Andrei, Gonchar Anya, Krapp Rupert, Callesen Trine A. (2015). Unexpected Levels of Biological Activity during the Polar Night Offer New Perspectives on a Warming Arctic. Current Biology, 25(19), 2555-2561. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.08.024 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00288/39885/