Antarctic Benthic Suspension Feeder Gut Contents and Bryozoan Fauna from the Weddell Sea

122 known bryozoan species were identified in the Weddell Sea from materials collected during the CS-EASIZ cruise, representing about half of the known Antarctic bryofauna. The dataset originates from a study examining the gut contents of benthic suspension feeders and the systematic collection of bryozoan, hydrozoan, and anthozoan fauna during Antarctic summers. It was last updated on 1995-12 31 and is provided by the organization SCIOPS via the NASA Earthdata platform.

Use Cases

• Analyze feeding ecology hypotheses for Antarctic suspension feeders based on observed gut content data.
• Study bryozoan biodiversity and species distribution in the Weddell Sea based on the collected specimen inventory.
• Compare morphological and biological observations from live specimens with data from fixed material.
• Investigate sampling methodology effects on delicate benthic organisms based on the described collection techniques.

Strengths

• Inventory expanded known bryozoan species in the Weddell Sea from 10 to 122.
• Includes observations from live specimens, providing details not deducible from fixed material.
• Sampling was conducted at 23 stations across a depth range of 120 to 2300 meters.

Limitations

• Last updated 1995-12-31 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS

Collection Method

Sampling with Agassiz trawl, epibenthic sledge, box corer, and plankton nets during the CS-EASIZ cruise.

Time Range

Antarctic summers

Freshness

Last updated 1995-12-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Weddell Sea