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Freshwater diversity in Svalbard: providing baseline data for ecosystems in change

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Abstract

The high Arctic is in a rapid transition due to climate change, and both direct effects due to warming and an extended growing season, as well as an indirect effect caused by increased bird activity and density (notably geese), strongly affect ponds and lakes. Our study presents the hitherto most comprehensive data on invertebrate freshwater diversity at Svalbard and had three main purposes: to provide a current “baseline” of community composition, to compare current species distribution and occurrence with older data to identify changes that have already occurred, and finally to identify how diversity and community composition are related to the age of localities. To address these aims, we conducted a survey of freshwater invertebrates in 75 ponds and lakes at Svalbard in August 2014 and 2015. We provide a full report of the species’ inventory data for zooplankton, benthos, and meiofauna. We also provide data for species that have likely colonized the sites over the previous decades. Finally, our study also clearly demonstrates a diversity gradient related to ecosystem age and/or parameters confounded with age (e.g., productivity), which may hint at the rate of colonization over the time span from the oldest to the youngest localities.

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Acknowledgements

This study was a joint campaign among the Norwegian and Russian researchers. Both partners were involved in preparing the study design, as well as participating in meetings, fieldwork (2014 and 2015), and analyzing/reporting of collected material. The authors owe their thanks to the UNIS (the University Centre in Svalbard), the NPI (the Norwegian Polar Institute), the Governor of Longyearbyen, and all the people in Barentsburg and Pyramiden for their valuable support during fieldwork. Thanks also are due to Olga L. Makarova who identified mites. The study of ecology and taxonomy of Cyclopoida (Copepoda) was supported by the program, “Scientific bases for the creation of a national depository bank of living systems of the Russian Science Foundation [Grant Number 14-50-00029].” The study of ecology and taxonomy of Harpacticoida (Copepoda) was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research [Grant Number 17-04-00337-a]. Further, this study was supported by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and the Research Council of Norway projects: “Effect of climate change and related stressors on fresh and brackish water ecosystems in Svalbard [227024]” and “The effect of nutrient input from migrating birds on the succession of freshwater communities of different age in Svalbard [246726].”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NINA, Gaustadalleen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway

    Bjørn Walseng, Thomas Jensen & Inta Dimante-Deimantovica

  2. The University Centre in Svalbard, 9171, Longyearbyen, Norway

    Kirsten S. Christoffersen

  3. Freshwater Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 4, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

    Kirsten S. Christoffersen

  4. M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobyevy Gory, 119992, Moscow, Russia

    Mikhail Chertoprud, Elena Chertoprud & Anna Novichkova

  5. Section for Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology, Department of Bioscience, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway

    Dag O. Hessen

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  1. Bjørn Walseng
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Correspondence to Bjørn Walseng.

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Walseng, B., Jensen, T., Dimante-Deimantovica, I. et al. Freshwater diversity in Svalbard: providing baseline data for ecosystems in change. Polar Biol 41, 1995–2005 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-018-2340-3

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