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Abstract: The continental shelf of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a highly productive region but also unusually deep as a result of isostatic depression by the polar ice cap. The close coupling of surface processes with those of the benthos would be expected in such a seasonally variable environment; however, the cold, deep conditions of the WAP shelf may allow for the persistence of organic material in the sediments as a “food bank”. Chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments were determined from the gut contents of seven species of echinoderm and from the surficial sediment on the bathyal continental shelf. Samples were collected as part of the FOODBANCS programme during successive cruises in austral spring (October 2000) and austral autumn (March 2001). Pigments were identified and quantified using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A lack of qualitative selectivity was observed among species, compared to that observed for deep-water assemblages at temperate latitudes, supporting the theory of a persistent “food bank”. However, significant quantitative differences were observed among species and between years and sampling location on the shelf. Species differences were marked between those we classified as “true” deposit feeders and those species whose diet also may be supplemented by scavenging and/or grazing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Antarctic shallow-water and deep-sea echinoderms are known to have seasonal gametogenic cycles linked to seasonal pulses of phytodetritus produced in surface waters. We suggest that phytodetritus reaching the Antarctic continental shelf may persist for longer timescales than in shallow or deep waters as a result of the low temperatures, low flow velocities, and the relatively short descent. If this food source remains available for extended periods throughout the year, Antarctic continental shelf megabenthos may not entrain seasonal gametogenic periodicity. To explore the reproductive response of the elpidiid holothurians, Protelpidia murrayi and Peniagone vignoni, a seasonal series of samples were taken on the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) at depths of 550–600m between November 1999 and March 2001. Gonad indices were measured, and gonad tissues were analysed using histological and image analysis techniques. Oocyte size–frequency distributions were constructed from measurements of oocyte diameter, and analysed to describe reproductive patterns. Histological analyses of gonads tissue from P. murrayi suggest that gametogenesis is synchronised and seasonal, with spawning occurring between March and June. The onset of vitellogenesis appears to be initiated and synchronised by the arrival of the phytodetritus pulse. While, oocyte size–frequency distributions of P. vignoni suggest that oogenesis is synchronous between individuals, and infer a seasonal variation in gametogenic intensity, with an increase in production of vitellogenic oocytes that may be associated with an increase in food supply. The seasonal series of oocyte size–frequency distributions suggests that spawning commenced during October and November. We propose that both P. murrayi and P. vignoni have opportunistic reproductive patterns. In P. murrayi, the distinct gametogenic response to the summer Antarctic-shelf food pulse may be well adapted to any trophic regime with a pulsed food supply. In contrast P. vignoni produces mature gametes all year round but capitalises on higher summer food flux by increasing the intensity of gamete production during this time. Therefore, although these species continue to feed during the austral winter and may gain sufficient energy to maintain basal metabolism and limited reproductive development, energetically more costly activities, such as high rates of vitellogenesis, may be reserved for the summer months when higher quality of food is available. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Phytodetritus can be quantified using oblique time-lapse seafloor imagery. • Rapid deposition of phytodetritus forms a food bank that feeds benthos in winter. • Deposition of phytodetritus is related to sea-ice cover but not to surface winds. • Amythas membranifera processes the surface 1 cm of sediment annually. The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region encompasses numerous fjords known to be hotspots of benthic biodiversity and biomass. These ecosystems are undergoing rapid climate warming and oceanographic change; consequent glacial melt and retreat may dramatically alter benthic communities and ecosystem functions in WAP fjords. In addition, there is extreme variability in seasonal productivity and phytodetrital food input to the deep shelf benthos of the WAP. Here we document the flux and utilization of phytodetritus at 530 m depth in Andvord Bay, a WAP glaciomarine fjord, using seafloor time-lapse images spanning a 10-month period, from December 2015 to September 2016. To explore the relationship between sea-surface conditions and detrital export, we developed a color-based method to quantify seafloor phytodetritus cover in time-lapse images, and correlated phytodetritus cover with sea-ice cover and surface wind speed. During the most rapid period of phytodetritus accumulation in early January 2016, approximately 3 cm of phytodetritus was deposited on the fjord floor over six days, representing a large input of organic carbon to the benthos. The timing of this rapid export event was not related to overlying wind conditions and occurred when the fjord was ice-free. To assess the response of the megafaunal community, we measured fecal-pellet production by the dominant surface deposit-feeder, the ampharetid polychaete Amythas membranifera. The deposit-feeding rate of A. membranifera increased substantially during high seafloor phytodetritus cover and returned to background levels for the rest of the autumn and winter. Ampharetids and mobile megafauna were observed to feed throughout the entire time-series, including beneath winter sea ice, suggesting that the delivery of phytodetritus from surface phytoplankton blooms in spring/summer sustains these abundant populations year-round with a sediment food bank. A. membranifera can reach densities of >37 m−2 and, as a population, processes a volume equivalent to the top 1.05 cm of sediment annually. The maximum individual feeding rates measured are comparable to some temperate intertidal deposit feeders. Nonetheless, phytodetritus on 31–73% of the seafloor was consumed by macrofauna or microbial populations not visible in time-lapse photographs, suggesting that recently deposited phytodetritus is processed primarily by these smaller size classes. This study demonstrates the seasonal coupling and subsequent decoupling of detritivore activity in response to a massive detrital deposition event in a deep, subpolar WAP fjord. This work indicates that both megafaunal deposit feeders and smaller size classes play important roles in processing labile organic matter in WAP fjord ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]