Benthic Fauna of Stepovoi Bay (Novaya Zemlya Archipelago, Kara Sea)

Abstract

Benthic fauna in Stepovoi Bay (Kara Sea, Novaya Zemlya) was studied during expeditions of the R/V Professor Shtokman in 2013–2014. Sampling was carried out at ten grab stations from the head of the bay to a depth of 180 m on the slope of the Novaya Zemlya Trough. The quantitative characteristics of the bottom fauna were obtained, and the main macrozoobenthic communities were specified. An important part of the fauna is represented by species associated with rocky substrates, attached forms in particular. There was a notable absence of a number of Arctic deep-sea species (e.g., Ophiopleura borealis) and deposit-feeding bivalve mollusks (Portlandia arctica, Ennucula tenuis, Yoldiella solidula, and Yoldiella lenticula), which play the leading role in the communities of the inner parts of bays with intense fine-grained mineral sedimentation. The main trends in the distribution patterns of benthic communities–bathymetric and horizontal (related to the position along the gradient from the head to the outer slope)–were revealed. The benthic communities of Stepovoi Bay were compared to communities of other Arctic bays and fjords.