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Assemblage Structure and Spatial Distribution of Groundfish in the Northern Bering Sea in Relation to Environmental Variation

Assemblage Structure and Spatial Distribution of Groundfish in the Northern Bering Sea in Relation to Environmental Variation
Type: 
Poster
Xuehua Cui1, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier2, Lee W. Cooper3, James R. Lovvorn4, Christopher A. North5, William L. Seaver6
1Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Tennessee, Gaithersburg, MD, 20879, USA, cuixuehua [at] gmail [dot] com
2University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, MD, USA, jgrebmei [at] cbl [dot] umces [dot] edu
3University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, MD, USA, cooper [at] cbl [dot] umces [dot] edu
4Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA, lovvorn [at] siu [dot] edu
5University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA, cnorth [at] uwyo [dot] edu
6University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA, wseaver [at] utk [dot] edu

This study focuses on the impacts of benthic fish populations on the ecosystem in the northern Bering Sea. Climate change in both the Bering Sea and the regions of the Arctic have been dramatic, and one of the most obvious aspects has been the reduced extent and earlier melting of seasonal pack ice. The main question is weather and how the benthic fish community in the northern Bering Sea impact the ecosystem in response to changes in water temperatures and sea ice coverage. The immediate goal is to predict groundfish distribution under scenarios of increasing bottom water temperatures in the Bering Sea. Groundfish samples were collected in spring 2006 and 2007 in the northern Bering Sea around St. Lawrence Island (SLI). The structure of the entire community of benthic fish was examined and multivariate analyses (cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling) were used to predict ecologically based relationships between environmental factors and fish community structure in the northern Bering Sea. Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), Bering flounder (Hippoglossoides robustus), and snailfish (Liparidae) were the dominant species south of SLI, whereas Arctic alligatorfish (Ulcina olrikii) and Arctic staghorn sculpin (Gymnocanthus tricuspis), or shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) were dominant north of SLI. The results indicate that bottom water (or water column) chlorophyll a and sediment parameters had greater influence on fish distribution in 2006 (cold, pre-bloom conditions), whereas bottom water temperature and sediment grain size were more important in 2007 (warm, bloom conditions) among a total of 14 environmental variables that were analyzed. These findings suggest strong linkages between physical conditions (e.g., water temperature and hydrography as it affects sediment grain size) and biological conditions (e.g., bloom status) in structuring fish communities in the northern Bering Sea.

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National Science Foundation | Division of Arctic Sciences
National Science Foundation
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere
International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere
Study of Environmental Arctic Change
Study of Environmental Arctic Change
Arctic System Science Program
Arctic System Science Program
US Arctic Research Commission
US Arctic Research Commission
North Slope Science Initiative
North Slope Science Initiative
International Arctic Science Committee
International Arctic Science Committee
Arctic Ocean Sciences Board
Arctic Ocean Sciences Board
Alaska Ocean Observing System
Alaska Ocean Observing System
Department of Energy
Department of Energy
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
World Wildlife Fund
WWF
Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
International Study of Arctic Change
International Study of Arctic Change
ArcticNet
ArcticNet
DAMOCLES
Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the ARCUS Cooperative Agreement ARC-0618885. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.