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STUDY TITLE: Evaluating a Potential Relict Arctic Invertebrate and Algal Community on the 

West Side of Cook Inlet 

REPORT TITLE: Evaluating a Potential Relict Arctic Invertebrate and Algal Community on the 

West Side of Cook Inlet 

CONTRACT NUMBER: M04PX13624 TASK ORDER #:37357 OCS Number : 2010-005 

SPONSORING OCS REGION: Alaska 

APPLICABLE PLANNING AREA: Cook Inlet 

FISCAL YEARS OF PROJECT FUNDING: FY 2005, 2006, 2007 

COMPLETION DATE OF REPORT: October 2008 

COST FY 2005: $43,489; FY 2006 $16,150 

CUMULATIVE PROJECT COST :$ 59, 639 

PROJECT MANAGER: Nora R. Foster 

AFFILIATION: University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks, Alaska 

ADDRESS: University of Alaska Museum 907 Yukon Drive Fairbanks, Alaska 99557 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS* Nora R. Foster, Dennis C. Lees, Susan Saupe 

KEY WORDS: Cook Inlet, Arctic fauna, biogeography, epifauna, algae 

BACKGROUND: A large proportion of the subtidal epifauna on the west side of lower Cook Inlet 

bears a striking resemblance to species reported for Point Barrow. Dr. Sandra Lindstrom has 

suggested a similar pattern for marine algae. It is likely that list of flora and fauna from this area 

incomplete, so that the amount of effort expended in examining this biogeographic anomaly has 

been light. Given their potential isolation, these western Cook Inlet populations could be at risk of 

significant habitat perturbation and may prove to be sensitive indicators of climate change or 

other ecological shifts. Monitoring their distributions and abundance could provide insight into 

changes in marine flora and fauna with changing physical oceanographic conditions. On the other 

hand, the persistence of these species in spite of their restricted distributions, relative to the 

prevailing currents, raises some interesting questions about their reproductive mechanisms and 

strategies. 

OBJECTIVES: 

The principal purposes of this study are to: 

1. Conduct a survey of archived specimens from the west side of Cook Inlet, especially from 

Kamishak Bay, to develop a more complete comprehension of species composition of 

intertidal and subtidal benthic assemblages on the west side of Cook Inlet; 

2. Evaluate the degree of geographic isolation for each potential relict Arctic species by 

reviewing species lists from previous studies conducted on the east side of Cook Inlet, the 

Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak, and in Shelikof Strait and the Bering Sea; and 

3. Determine the taxonomic status of the species observed in this region by conducting detailed 
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taxonomic evaluations on a wide variety of algae and invertebrates. These include 

preserved and archived specimens collected during several surveys as early as 1976.

DESCRIPTION: 

To address questions of Arctic-affiliated algae and invertebrates, we reviewed previous biological 

assessments, examined specimens, and considered the geological history and other factors that 

may explain the disjunct occurrences of algae and invertebrates. 

For the invertebrates, we employed two types of multivariate analyses on bryozoa and mollusks 

(two phyla for which good distributional data and identifications are available) to view 

relationships among regions and taxa. The distribution of seaweeds in the northeast Pacific and 

in Cook Inlet was to consider what relationship might exist between species occurring the Cook 

Inlet and in the Arctic, using existing algae databases, and as yet unpublished molecular data. 

We reviewed the distributions of 723 species of marine invertebrates and 175 algae of Cook Inlet 

and 66 species from the Arctic algae species form both sides of Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound 

and Point Barrow. 

SIGNIFICANT CONCLSIONS: 

We found that at least 68 invertebrates with disjunct occurrences, the anomaly could be 

explained in terms of the geological history of Cook Inlet and the northern Gulf of Alaska. 

The algae on the west side of Cook Inlet are a depauperate flora, but probably are not arctic 

relicts.

STUDY RESULTS: This work describes the anomalous occurrence of Arctic epifaunal 

invertebrates and algae along the western side of Cook Inlet. Although the collections and 

literature are limited, our results demonstrate that show that Bryozoan and Mollusca show the 

anomalous relationships. The results of field work indicate a change in species, and suggest that 

a program of collecting an monitoring would be useful to document change. 

STUDY PRODUCTS: 

Foster, N. R., D. C. Lees and S. Saupe 2005. Evaluating a Potential Relict Arctic Invertebrate and 

Algal Community on the West Side of Cook Inlet. P. In University of Alaska Coastal marine 

Institute Annual Report No.11 Study MMS University of Alaska and US DOI, MMS, Alaska 

OCS Region. 

Foster, N. R., D. C. Lees and S. Saupe 2007. Evaluating a Potential Relict Arctic Invertebrate and 

Algal Community on the West Side of Cook Inlet. P. In University of Alaska Coastal marine 

Institute Annual Report No. 14 Study MMS University of Alaska and US DOI, MMS, Alaska 

OCS Region.

Foster, N. R., A. V., Grischenko, and D. C. Lees, 2007. Biodiversity and biogeography of 

Bryozoa in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Presentation to the AAAS Alaska Science Conference, 

Anchorage Alaska September 2007 

Foster, N. R., A. V., Grischenko, and D. C. Lees, 2007. Biodiversity and biogeography of 

Bryozoa in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Poster presentation at the ASLO Ocean Sciences Meeting 

Orlando Florida, March 2009. 
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Cook Inlet showing localities of interest 

Focus Area for Evaluating a Potential Relict Arctic Invertebrate and Algal Community on the West 

Side of Cook Inlet