Abstract:
This dataset comprises data on the water content of various terrestrial invertebrates on Signy Island, from 1984 to 1996. Species include native mites (Gamasellus racovitzai, Halozetes belgicae, Alaskozetes antarcticus, Stereotydeus villosus), springtails (Archisotoma brucei, Parisotoma (now Folsomotoma) octooculata, Cryptopygus antarcticus) and the non-native midge (Eretmoptera murphyi). Live samples were collected monthly at Bernsten Point, Elephant Flats, Gourlay Peninsula and Factory Bluff over both the summer and winter season. This data were collected as part of a long-term monitoring programme on terrestrial habitats in the maritime Antarctic.
This dataset was supported with NERC core funding to BAS.
Keywords:
Arthropod, Invertebrate, Signy, Terrestrial, Water stress
| Access Constraints: | There are no access constraints on this dataset. |
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| Use Constraints: | This data is governed by the NERC data policy http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/policy/ and supplied under Open Government Licence v.3 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/. |
| Creation Date: | 2023-05-15 |
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| Dataset Progress: | Complete |
| Dataset Language: | English |
| ISO Topic Categories: |
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| Parameters: |
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| Personnel: | |
| Name | UK Polar Data Centre |
| Role(s) | Metadata Author |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | William Block |
| Role(s) | Investigator, Technical Contact |
| Name | Dr Peter Convey |
| Role(s) | Investigator, Technical Contact |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Parent Dataset: | N/A |
| Reference: | Convey, P., Block, W. and Peat, H.J. (2003), Soil arthropods as indicators of water stress in Antarctic terrestrial habitats?. Global Change Biology, 9: 1718-1730. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2486.2003.00691.x Block, W. and Convey, P. (2002) Seasonal and long-term variation in body water content of an Antarctic springtail - a response to climate change? Polar Biology, 24: 764-770. |
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| Quality: | For the first four years of data collection, limitations on balance equipment meant animals of each species (usually 5 replicates) were weighed together. A small number of monthly samples were not collected as a result of adverse weather conditions. For the periods January 1988 - April 1989 and July - December 1992, no data were obtained due to balance equipment failure. Data flagged during collection and/or analysis as non-normal are denoted with a 'Y' in the column 'data_flag'. |
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| Lineage: | Monthly sampling was carried out for seven species of soil arthropods (four species of Acari, two Collembola, 1 Diptera) over the year. Four species of Acari and three species of Collembola were collected at Bernsten Point, Elephant Flats and Gourlay Peninsula. The eighth species, Diptera, was collected at the base of Factory Bluffs. The invertebrates were collected by hand from the surfaces of rocks embedded in soil or vegetation. Samples were kept at ambient temperature during transport to the laboratory located at the base on Signy Island. Adults of three larger and more robust mite species were then separated (A. antarcticus, H. belgicae, G. racovitzai), while the smaller S. villosus and the three springtails were not identified to life stage. Only larvae of the chironomidmidge were collected. Over the study period both a Cahn gram electrobalance and a Sartorius electrobalance were used, the former sensitive to approximately 1 ng, the latter to 0.2 ng. Fresh and dry mass were obtained (dry mass obtained after drying at 60 degrees Celsius). For the first four years of the study, animals of each species were weighed together (usually 5 replicates). During the following seven years, animals were weighed individually in small aluminium containers. A minimum of 20 animals of each species were weighed monthly. Water content is expressed in the following two ways in the dataset: 1. Water content as a fresh weight percentage (column water_content_fresh_weight_perc) calculated as: water_content_fresh_weight_perc = 100*(fresh_weight_sample_ug - dry_weight_sample_ug)/fresh_weight_sample_ug 2. Dry weight as (column water_content_dry_weight_ug): water_content_dry_weight_g_g-1 = (fresh_weight_sample_ug - dry_weight_sample_ug)/dry_weight_sample_ug |
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| Temporal Coverage: | |
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| Start Date | 1984-04-16 |
| End Date | 1996-06-02 |
| Spatial Coverage: | |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -60.72935 |
| Northernmost | -60.72935 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -45.58417 |
| Easternmost | -45.58417 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -60.71667 |
| Northernmost | -60.71667 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -45.6 |
| Easternmost | -45.6 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -60.70625 |
| Northernmost | -60.70625 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -45.59118 |
| Easternmost | -45.59118 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -60.70389 |
| Northernmost | -60.70389 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -45.61389 |
| Easternmost | -45.61389 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -60.73264 |
| Northernmost | -60.72033 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -45.60452 |
| Easternmost | -45.57957 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Location: | |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Signy Island, South Orkney Islands |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Factory Bluffs, Signy Island, South Orkney Islands |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Bernsten Point, Signy Island, South Orkney Islands |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Elephant Flats, Signy Island, South Orkney Islands |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Gourlay Peninsula, Signy Island, South Orkney Islands |
| Data Storage: | 1x ,csv file |
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