title: Anchor ice and benthic disturbance in shallow Antarctic waters: interspecific variation in initiation and propagation of ice crystals.
abstract: Sea ice typically forms at the ocean's surface, but given a source of supercooled water, an unusual form of ice--anchor ice--can grow on objects in the water column or at the seafloor. For several decades, ecologists have considered anchor ice to be an important agent of disturbance in the shallow-water benthic communities of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, and potentially elsewhere in polar seas. Divers have documented anchor ice in the McMurdo communities, and its presence coincides with reduced abundance of the sponge Homaxinella balfourensis, which provides habitat for a diverse assemblage of benthic organisms. However, the mechanism of this disturbance has not been explored. Here we show interspecific differences in anchor-ice formation and propagation characteristics for Antarctic benthic organisms. The sponges H. balfourensis and Suberites caminatus show increased incidence of formation and accelerated spread of ice crystals compared to urchins and sea stars. Anchor ice also forms readily on sediments, from which it can grow and adhere to organisms. Our results are consistent with, and provide a potential first step toward, an explanation for disturbance patterns observed in shallow polar benthic communities. Interspecific differences in ice formation raise questions about how surface tissue characteristics such as surface area, rugosity, and mucus coating affect ice formation on invertebrates.
authors: Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California 93950, USA. mwdenny@stanford.edu
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Denny
authors: Kelly M
authors: KM
authors: Dorgan
authors: Dennis
authors: D
authors: Evangelista
authors: Annaliese
authors: A
authors: Hettinger
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Leichter
authors: Warren C
authors: WC
authors: Ruder
authors: Idan
authors: I
authors: Tuval
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D044822:Biodiversity; D003460:Crystallization; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D007053:Ice; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000502:physiology*; D012623:Seawater
chemical_list: D007053:Ice