The Impact of Sea Ice Loss on Benthic Communities of the Makarov Strait (Northeastern Barents Sea).

The continental shelf of the northeastern Barents Sea is presently experiencing a weak influx of Atlantic water from the west. In recent times, warming in Arctic regions has led to an increase in extended ice-free periods in this area, instead of significantly elevating water temperatures. The implications of this phenomenon on the structure and functioning of benthic communities were investigated during the autumn of 2019 within the Makarov Strait, located in the southwestern part of the St.

Shallow-Water Bryozoan Communities in a Glacier Fjord of West Svalbard, Norway: Species Composition and Effects of Environmental Factors.

Despite significant research efforts focused on benthic assemblages in West Spitsbergen, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the shallow water bryozoan communities in Grønfjorden, a glacier fjord belonging to the Isfjorden system, Norway. Here, we studied species composition, richness, distribution, and biomass of bryozoans in the intertidal and upper subtidal zones of Grønfjorden in summer. We found 62 bryozoan species, among which (Linnaeus, 1767), (Busk, 1855), and (d'Orbigny, 1853) were most prevalent while the highest contributions to the total biomass were registered for (d'Orbigny, 1853), (Van Beneden, 1848), (Lamarck, 1816), and (Ellis and Solander, 1786).

Environmental Drivers of an Intertidal Bryozoan Community in the Barents Sea: A Case Study.

There is a lack of knowledge regarding the modern status of intertidal bryozoan communities in the coastal Barents Sea. Here, we studied species composition, richness, and biomass of bryozoans in Yarnyshnaya and Dalnezelenetskaya Bays, both located in the eastern part of the Kola Peninsula (Barents Sea), in summer. Species composition and biodiversity were consistent with previous research but the record of the ctenostome bryozoan is the first for the region indicating eastward range expansion of this species associated with climate forcing in the Arctic.