Bryozoan diversity, biogeographic patterns and distribution in Greenland waters
In: Marine Biodiversity. Springer: Heidelberg; Berlin. ISSN 1867-1616; e-ISSN 1867-1624, more
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| Keywords |
Bryozoa [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
Bryozoa; species richness; faunal assemblages; biogeographic regionalization; environmental gradients; Greenland; North Atlantic |
| Authors | | Top |
- Denisenko, N.V.
- Blicher, M.E.
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| Abstract |
Using retrospective data dating back to the eighteenth century and extensive information from new collections in 2016, this paper provides an update of the species richness of bryozoans and evaluates the variation of bryozoan diversity along environmental gradients (depth and water temperature) and latitude in Greenland. A total of 308 species was recorded in Greenland, including 21, which were found for the first time. The richest bryozoan fauna inhabits the South Western (SW) and the northern parts of the study area. The rarefaction method and Chao2 metric indicate that additional sampling can increase bryozoan species richness with up to 20% for the whole area; and up to 50˗70% — for the Central West 2 (CW2) and SW sectors. An increase of 100 and 250%, respectively, is expected for the South East (SE) and Central West 1 (CW1) sectors, which underlines the scarcity of studies in these areas. Data from 2016 suggested a decrease in species richness towards the north, but this trend diminished when including historic records. Boreo-Arctic species of bryozoans dominate, but Arctic species are twice as numerous as those with boreal affinity. Arctic and Atlantic waters influence the distribution of bryozoan species. Temperature controls the distribution of boreal species. An estimation of similarities of the species composition in the defined sectors indicated the presence of four bryozoan assemblages. A comparison of the Greenland bryozoan communities with the communities of 24 geographical areas defined for the Arctic and the Atlantic boreal zone showed that the Greenland bryozoan fauna, with the exception of the SE sector, has significant similarity with the areas located at the border between the boreal and Arctic regions and having a transitional zone between them. In contrast, the SE sector is part of the boreal Atlantic region. |
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