Assoc. Prof. Dr. Benoit Lebreton 

Polar fjords are places in the Arctic where growth of marine micro- and macroalgae can be extremely high. This production likely changes significantly between summer and winter (i.e. no growth due to polar night) and may be strongly altered due to global warming. Complex food webs rely on this production of micro- and macroalgae, with food web characteristics likely changing depending on habitats (i.e. water, bedrock, mud). In fjords, shallow mudflats are habitats where food sources can be stored in the sediment, and can therefore be available all year long to their consumers. Besides this potential role, shallow mudflats’ role and links to adjacent habitats have been poorly studied. Assessing the links between habitats may help to define the degree of cascading effects if one habitat changes dramatically. Aim of this project is to determine to which extent shallow mudflats can act as reservoirs of food for animals and what is the fate of these food resources in winter, when growth is very low. In this aim, we will determine what food sources are available to the fauna in shallow mudflats, what is trapped for long term into the sediment and what is used by the fauna. Our final aim is that a better understanding of flows of food in such polar ecosystem will provide knowledge and tools to better anticipate changes related to global warming and to better manage polar coastal ecosystems in the following decades.