title: Unexpected Levels of Biological Activity during the Polar Night Offer New Perspectives on a Warming Arctic.
abstract: The current understanding of Arctic ecosystems is deeply rooted in the classical view of a bottom-up controlled system with strong physical forcing and seasonality in primary-production regimes. Consequently, the Arctic polar night is commonly disregarded as a time of year when biological activities are reduced to a minimum due to a reduced food supply. Here, based upon a multidisciplinary ecosystem-scale study from the polar night at 79°N, we present an entirely different view. Instead of an ecosystem that has entered a resting state, we document a system with high activity levels and biological interactions across most trophic levels. In some habitats, biological diversity and presence of juvenile stages were elevated in winter months compared to the more productive and sunlit periods. Ultimately, our results suggest a different perspective regarding ecosystem function that will be of importance for future environmental management and decision making, especially at a time when Arctic regions are experiencing accelerated environmental change [1].
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway; University Centre in Svalbard, Pb 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway. Electronic address: jorgen.berge@uit.no.
authors.forename: Jørgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berge
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Malin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daase
authors.affiliation: University Centre in Svalbard, Pb 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway; Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.affiliation: Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9296 Tromsø, Norway; Department of Biology, Bates College, Lewiston, ME 04240, USA.
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Ambrose
authors.affiliation: Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Darnis
authors.affiliation: Scottish Marine Institute, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Kim S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Last
authors.affiliation: Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leu
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE 19958, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: University Centre in Svalbard, Pb 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway; Trondheim Biological Station, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Geir
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Johnsen
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE 19958, USA.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moline
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway; Scottish Marine Institute, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Finlo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cottier
authors.affiliation: University Centre in Svalbard, Pb 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway; Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Øystein
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Varpe
authors.affiliation: Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shunatova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bałazy
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin, LEMAR, UMR 6539, CNRS-IRD-UBO-Ifremer, IUEM, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Rue Dumont d'Urville, 29280 Plouzané, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morata
authors.affiliation: EPOC, UMR 5805, University Bordeaux, 33400 Talence, France; CNRS, EPOC, UMR 5805, 33400 Talence, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Charles
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Massabuau
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway; University Centre in Svalbard, Pb 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway.
authors.forename: Stig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Falk-Petersen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Science, 117997 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Ksenia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kosobokova
authors.affiliation: Alfred Wegener Institute - Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Clara J M
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland.
authors.forename: Jan Marcin
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Węsławski
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kukliński
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Legeżyńska
authors.affiliation: Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.
authors.forename: Daria
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nikishina
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Marine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cusa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kędra
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Włodarska-Kowalczuk
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway; University Centre in Svalbard, Pb 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vogedes
authors.affiliation: Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Lionel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Camus
authors.affiliation: EPOC, UMR 5805, University Bordeaux, 33400 Talence, France; CNRS, EPOC, UMR 5805, 33400 Talence, France.
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin, LEMAR, UMR 6539, CNRS-IRD-UBO-Ifremer, IUEM, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Rue Dumont d'Urville, 29280 Plouzané, France.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Michaud
authors.affiliation: University Centre in Svalbard, Pb 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway.
authors.forename: Tove M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Gabrielsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Granovitch
authors.affiliation: Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.
authors.forename: Anya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonchar
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krapp
authors.affiliation: University Centre in Svalbard, Pb 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway.
authors.forename: Trine A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Callesen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D057232:Global Warming; D012621:Seasons