Summary
Antarctic marine benthic macrofaunal communities are investigated using an artificial substrate unit (ASU) to determine whether ASUs can be used to monitor environmental impacts caused by human activities in Antarctica. The ASU is made of a bundle of 3 nylon mesh pot scourers which are anchored to the benthos using weighted trays. The community recruited to the ASUs is dominated by peracaridean crustaceans (isopods, amphipods and tanaids), polychaetes and gastropods. This is the first time this technique has been used to sample benthic macrofaunal communities in Antarctic continental marine waters. ASUs have been collected from a series of experiments at Casey Station that were designed to investigate spatial variation, short term temporal variation, unit size, position in the water column and the effects of contaminated sediments on the recruited community. The use of ASUs in experimental ecology gives the investigator control over the duration, timing and position of the substrate in the environment, permitting the study of specific aspects of the ecology of the recruited community. The use of a standard, easily replicated unit also lends power to statistical analysis of samples. Multivariate analysis of the community diversity and abundance data and univariate analysis of abundance data for selected taxa will be used to investigate faunal distribution patterns and their relation to chemistry and particle size distribution of sediments at deployment sites. Preliminary results from the study are presented.