DOI: 10.5285/68315d6d-e7bf-4da0-a73a-5d6e0ba242a7
title: Macrobenthic Isopoda collected by epibenthic sledge from the southern Weddell Sea in 2012, South Orkney Islands in 2016, Prince Gustav Channel in 2018 and Eastern Antarctic Peninsula in 2019

description: In 2012 RRS James Clark Ross investigated the marine benthic biodiversity of the southern Weddell Sea (JR275), in 2016 the marine benthic biodiversity of the South Orkney Islands (JR15005) and in 2018 the marine benthic biodiversity of the Prince Gustav Channel area. In 2019 RV Polarstern investigated the marine benthic biodiversity of the eastern Antarctic Peninsula (PS119). During all expeditions macrobenthic isopod fauna (Peracarida, Crustacea) was collected by a total of 37 epibenthic sledge (EBS) and assessed for species richness and abundance. In total 27099 isopod specimens assigned to 228 morphospecies and 78 genera were identified. To set the isopod dataset into a wider context of species diversity, published isopod species richness data from a further EBS collected stations during the ANDEEP I-III expeditions (ANT XIX/2-3, ANT XXII-3) in the Weddell Sea (Brandt et al. 2007) were added. This dataset provides data for 1) Isopoda EBS station locations and environmental data, 2) EBS Isopoda abundance data JR275, JR15005, JR17003a and PS118, 3) Isopoda species absence/presence data JR275, JR15005, JR17003a and PS118, 4) Isopoda species absence/presence data ANDEEP Weddell Sea only. Funding for KL, HJG, and the RRS James Clark Ross expeditions was provided by NERC for NC Science (JR275, JR15005) and for NERC urgency grant NE/R012296/1 'Benthic biodiversity under Antarctic ice-shelves - baseline assessment of the seabed exposed by the 2017 calving of the Larsen-C Ice Shelf' (JR17003a). Ship time for EBS work during PS118 was provided to Linse et al. via a co-user grant from Leitstelle Deutsche Forschungsschiffe (AWI-PS118_7). Funding for DD was provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grant Br1121/51-1. Financial support for the ANDEEP I-III expeditions was provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grant Br1121/22/1-3.
description: The data were collected during expeditions JR275 in 2012, JR15005 in 2016, JR17003a in 2018 and PS118 in 2019. The EBS holds an epi-and a suprabenthic netsampler (Brenke, 2005). Each of these nets has an opening of 100x33 cm and net mesh size of 500 µm. The cod ends are equipped with net-buckets containing 300 µm mesh windows. On deployment 1.5 times cable length to water depth were laid out and then EBS was trawled for 10 minutes on the seabed at a 1 knot for deployments in 500 m to 1500 m. Once on the deck, the content of the samplers was immediately fixed in 96% undenaturated and pre-cooled (at -20 °C) ethanol. Samples were stored in a -20 °C freezer for at least 48 h to reduce degradation of DNA for subsequent genetic studies (Riehl et al., 2014). During this time, samples were gently rolled every three to six hours. Ethanol was changed once for all sub-fractions. The haul distances were calculated based on equation (4) in Brenke (2005). For comparison between stations abundance data were standardised to 1000 m2 trawled area. In the laboratory, samples were initially sorted under a stereomicroscope to class level and, whenever possible, classified to morphospecies level. Juvenile specimens were assigned to family or genus level. Live specimen numbers were counted for abundance data based on undamaged individuals and heads while tails (without head) were not taken into account.
description: British Antarctic Survey Epi-benthic Sledge was built based on the EBS design by Brenke (2005), further details can be found at http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/L22/current/NETT0182/.
description: Standard protocols for EBS deployment were followed. Data entry of EBS deployment data was linked to vessel's USBL system.