---TITLE: HLY-05-02 Macrofauna Data

---AUTHOR(S):
	Bodil A. Bluhm

	Research Associate Professor
	Institute of Marine Science
	230 Irving II
	P.O. Box 757220
	University of Alaska Fairbanks
	Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220
	Phone: (907) 474-6332
	Email: babluhm@alaska.edu

---DATA SET OVERVIEW:
This dataset contains soft bottom metazoan infauna (larger than 250
micrometer) that was collected with 33 box cores at 11 stations ranging from
817m to 3961 m water depth in the high Arctic Canada Basin from 28 June to 25
July 2005. Total infauna abundance ranged from 0.6 to 50 individuals per 0.06
squaremeter (89-2722 individuals per square meter) and total biomass ranged
from 0.2-1.6 g wet weight per 0.06 square meter (less than 0.1-26.1 g wet
weight per square meter). Infauna taxon number per station was between 8 and
55. Abundance, biomass, taxon number and diversity indices of infauna declined
significantly with water depth. Polychaetes, crustaceans and bivalves
dominated the infaunal densities, biomass and species numbers. A total of 99
infauna taxa were identified, including at least three new species of
polychaetes. 

Multivariate analysis indicated that station groups "Chukchi slope", "Canada
Basin abyss" and "Chukchi Cap" were moderately, but significantly, different
in the infauna samples, but could not be similarly distinguished as such in
the epifauna photographs. This data set contains the raw counts for each box
core replicate sample, mostly per 0.06 m2 (20x30 cm) for replicates 1 and 2,
and per 0.03 m2 for replicate 3. The second half of replicate three was used
to sample for measurements of grain size, sediment organic carbon etc.. Those
environmental data as well as mean station totals of abundance and biomass are
in the related publication: MacDonald IR, Bluhm BA (shared 1st authorship),
Iken K, Gagaev S, Strong S (2010) "Benthic macrofaunal and megafaunal
assemblages in the Arctic deep-sea Canada Basin". Deep-Sea Research II
57:136-152. 

Species identifications were primarily conducted by the taxonomists listed in
the data file.

---INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION:
Unknown

---DATA FORMAT:
Data are in Excel spreadsheet format but also orderable as a comma-separated
value (csv) 
file.

--Data Remarks:
The date range for this dataset is in AST time.

---REFERENCES:
Related data set at http://www.arcodiv.org/Database/Benthos_datasets.html
(details in Blu
hm BA, MacDonald IR, Debenham C, Iken K (2005) Macro- and megabenthic
communities in the 
high Arctic Canada Basin: initial findings. Polar Biology (spec. issue)
28:218-231).