Effects of temperature and food availability on Arctic benthic foraminifera: coupling field observations with feeding experiments

Climate-driven increases in primary production are expected to alter the organic matter reaching the Arctic seafloor. While polar organisms can respond rapidly to changes in food pulses, there is limited information on how different benthic compartments exhibit distinct physiological and population-level responses. Here, we evaluated the responses of benthic foraminifera to the addition of 13C-labelled algae powder under ambient conditions and a warmer temperature setting. We quantified the species-specific ingestion rates of selected foraminifera taxa from shelf and slope regions characterised by distinct water depths and hydrographic conditions. Our results demonstrated that shelf foraminiferal assemblages had higher uptake than slope assemblages, despite the latter having generally higher abundance. Both suspension feeders and detritivores (e.g., Saccorhiza ramosa and Cribrostomoides subglobosus, respectively) had high feeding rates, indicating that species-specific uptake is related to feeding preferences and strategies. Most taxa did not exhibit increased feeding under warm conditions, except for C. subglobosus and certain calcareous taxa, suggesting that warming effects are secondary and species-specific. Background foraminiferal isotopic signatures (δ13C, δ15N) evidenced trophic plasticity in Arctic benthic foraminifera, as Lagenammina difflugiformis, Elphidium clavatum and Melonis affinis showed varying isotopic values across sites. Our findings indicate that future warming may alter benthic carbon cycling not through generalised metabolic acceleration due to higher water temperature, but through species-specific shifts that should restructure community biodiversity and trophic roles.