title: Glacial melting: an overlooked threat to Antarctic krill.
abstract: Strandings of marine animals are relatively common in marine systems. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We observed mass strandings of krill in Antarctica that appeared to be linked to the presence of glacial meltwater. Climate-induced glacial meltwater leads to an increased occurrence of suspended particles in the sea, which is known to affect the physiology of aquatic organisms. Here, we study the effect of suspended inorganic particles on krill in relation to krill mortality events observed in Potter Cove, Antarctica, between 2003 and 2012. The experimental results showed that large quantities of lithogenic particles affected krill feeding, absorption capacity and performance after only 24 h of exposure. Negative effects were related to both the threshold concentrations and the size of the suspended particles. Analysis of the stomach contents of stranded krill showed large quantities of large particles ( > 10(6 )μm(3)), which were most likely mobilized by glacial meltwater. Ongoing climate-induced glacial melting may impact the coastal ecosystems of Antarctica that rely on krill.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.affiliation: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.|Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), CONICET-UNC y Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gastón
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alurralde
authors.affiliation: Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany.|Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Gastón E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Aguirre
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Canepa
authors.affiliation: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Wadden Sea Research Station, List, Germany.
authors.forename: Anne-Cathrin
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Wölfl
authors.affiliation: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Wadden Sea Research Station, List, Germany.
authors.forename: H Christian
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hass
authors.affiliation: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.|Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gabriela N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.|Instituto Antártico Argentino, Buenos Aires, Argentina.|Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Rimouski, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Irene R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Schloss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D059001:Aquatic Organisms; D057231:Climate Change; D017753:Ecosystem; D033201:Euphausiacea / Q000254:growth & development*; D011235:Predatory Behavior