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Growth and age of the Antarctic bryozoan Cellaria incula on the Weddell Sea shelf

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2004

Thomas Brey ,
Dieter Gerdes ,
Julian Gutt ,
Andreas Mackensen  and
Andreas Starmans
Thomas Brey
Affiliation:
Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, PO Box 120161, D-27576 Bremerhaven, Germany
Dieter Gerdes
Affiliation:
Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, PO Box 120161, D-27576 Bremerhaven, Germany
Julian Gutt
Affiliation:
Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, PO Box 120161, D-27576 Bremerhaven, Germany
Andreas Mackensen
Affiliation:
Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, PO Box 120161, D-27576 Bremerhaven, Germany
Andreas Starmans
Affiliation:
Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, PO Box 120161, D-27576 Bremerhaven, Germany
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Abstract

We analysed growth of the arborescent Antarctic cheilostome bryozoan Cellaria incula by stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis. The growth of one complete branch of C. incula takes one year, i.e. owing to the bifurcate colony structure two new branches grow from each branch of the previous generation. The maximum age of a C. incula colony is likely to be more than 14 years. Annual production-to-biomass ratio is 0.67, the highest value hitherto measured for any benthic invertebrate south of 62°S. Comparatively fast growth and high productivity identify C. incula as a pioneer species which is able to quickly occupy spatial niches produced by iceberg scouring on the Antarctic shelf.

Keywords

cheilostome bryozoagrowthproductivityWeddell Sea
Type
Papers—Life Sciences and Oceanography
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , December 1999 , pp. 408 - 414
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 1999

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