Potter Cove, Antarctica, has undergone a significant environmental shift over recent decades, transitioning from consistently low phytoplankton biomass to alternating bloom and non-bloom years. The ecological consequences of this dramatic change, particularly on the plankton community and the wider ecosystem, remain largely unexplored despite phytoplankton's foundational role. This study addresses this critical gap by investigating the trophic structure and dynamics of the plankton community in Potter Cove under bloom and non-bloom scenarios using a network-based approach. We constructed plankton food webs by compiling Antarctic plankton trophic interactions from a systematic literature review, filtered for species present in Potter Cove. The resulting food web comprises 37 trophic species and 211 interactions. Our initial analysis of unweighted (presence/absence) networks reveals distinct topological differences between scenarios: connectance (0.21 vs. 0.19), path length (1.56 vs 1.54), mean trophic level (2.26 vs 1.61), and omnivory (0.57 vs 0.44) are all higher during bloom years. While the degree distribution is similar across scenarios, with interactions concentrated among a few species, we anticipate weighted networks (incorporating interaction strength) will reveal greater asymmetry in energy flow. We are currently quantifying interaction strengths to develop weighted food webs, which will provide a more accurate representation of energy transfer. Node-level properties, such as degree and topological role, will be used to assess the relative importance of species, particularly blooming taxa, under different conditions. This research will offer crucial insights into energy flow within Antarctic plankton communities and enhance our ability to predict the impacts of environmental change, including climate change, on polar marine ecosystems and their higher trophic levels.
promotor/supervisor feedback
nothing yet
