The deep sea encompasses the largest ecosystems on Earth. Although poorly known, deep seafloor ecosystems provide services that are vitally important to the entire ocean and biosphere. Rising atmospheric greenhouse gases are bringing about significant changes in the environmental properties of the ocean realm in terms of water column oxygenation, temperature, pH and food supply, with concomitant impacts on deep-sea ecosystems. Projections suggest that abyssal (3000-6000 m) ocean temperatures could increase by 1°C over the next 84 years, while abyssal seafloor habitats under areas of deep-water formation may experience reductions in water column oxygen concentrations by as much as 0.03 mL L -1 by 2100. Bathyal depths (200-3000 m) worldwide will undergo the most significant reductions in pH in all oceans by the year 2100 (0.29 to 0.37 pH units). O 2 concentrations will also decline in the bathyal NE Pacific and Southern Oceans, with losses up to 3.7% or more, especially at intermediate depths. Another important environmental parameter, the flux of particulate organic matter to the seafloor, is likely to decline significantly in most oceans, most notably in the abyssal and bathyal Indian Ocean where it is predicted to decrease by 40-55% by the end of the century. Unfortunately, how these major changes will affect deep-seafloor ecosystems is, in some cases, very poorly understood. In this paper, we provide a detailed overview of the impacts of these changing environmental parameters on deep-seafloor ecosystems that will most likely be seen by 2100 in continental margin, abyssal and polar settings. We also consider how these changes may combine with other anthropogenic stressors (e.g., fishing, mineral mining, oil and gas extraction) to further impact deep-seafloor ecosystems and discuss the possible societal implications.

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There is growing concern that global environmental change might exacerbate the ecological impacts of invasive species by increasing their per capita effects on native species. However, the mechanisms underlying such shifts in interaction strength are poorly understood. Here, we test whether ocean acidification, driven by elevated seawater pCO 2 , increases the susceptibility of native Olympia oysters to predation by invasive snails. Oysters raised under elevated pCO 2 experienced a 20% increase in drilling predation. When presented alongside control oysters in a choice experiment, 48% more high-CO 2 oysters were consumed. The invasive snails were tolerant of elevated CO 2 with no change in feeding behaviour. Oysters raised under acidified conditions did not have thinner shells, but were 29 -40% smaller than control oysters, and these smaller individuals were consumed at disproportionately greater rates. Reduction in prey size is a common response to environmental stress that may drive increasing per capita effects of stress-tolerant invasive predators.

Stones released by melting icebergs are called dropstones, and these stones constitute island-like hard-bottom habitats at high latitudes. In 2012, dropstone megafauna in the HAUSGARTEN observatory in the Fram Strait was sampled photographically. We tested the hypothesis that dropstones would have the same species distribution patterns as terrestrial islands, using 5 patterns commonly found in the classical island literature. Higher richness, diversity, and abundance of fauna occurred on larger stones and on stones near a deep-water rocky reef. These patterns can be explained by the greater surface area of larger stones, the exposure of larger stones to faster current higher in the benthic boundary layer, and increased larval supply from the rocky reef. Some pairs of morphotypes (12 pairs out of 56 morphotypes and 1540 possible pairs) co-occurred less often than expected by chance. While similar patterns have been attributed to interspecific competition in the classical island literature, we offer alternative mechanisms for dropstones. Non-random co-occurrence on dropstones may be explained by larval dispersal. Dropstone fauna had an overdispersed (clumped) distribution, so pairs of morphotypes may have negative non-random co-occurrence simply because short larval life and limited dispersal ability prevent them from having randomly overlapping distributions. In addition, we found 8 morphotype pairs that co-occurred more often than expected by chance because of epibiontism. The patterns found in dropstone communities resemble terrestrial islands, but different mechanisms may be responsible.

The cycling of carbon (C) by benthic organisms is a key ecosystem function in the deep sea. Pulse‐chase experiments are designed to quantify this process, yet few studies have been carried out using abyssal (3500–6000 m) sediments and only a handful of studies have been undertaken in situ. We undertook eight in situ pulse‐chase experiments in three abyssal strata (4050–4200 m water depth) separated by tens to hundreds of kilometers in the eastern Clarion‐Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ). These experiments demonstrated that benthic bacteria dominated the consumption of phytodetritus over short (~ 1.5 d) time scales, with metazoan macrofauna playing a minor role. These results contrast with the only other comparable in situ abyssal study, where macrofauna dominated phytodetritus assimilation over short (2.5 d) time scales in the eutrophic NE Atlantic. We also demonstrated that benthic bacteria were capable of converting dissolved inorganic C into biomass and showed that this process can occur at rates that are as high as the bacterial assimilation of algal‐derived organic C. This demonstrates the potential importance of inorganic C uptake to abyssal ecosystems in this region. It also alludes to the possibility that some of the C incorporation by bacteria in our algal‐addition studies may have resulted from the incorporation of labeled dissolved inorganic carbon initially respired by other unstudied organisms. Our findings reveal the key importance of benthic bacteria in the short‐term cycling of C in abyssal habitats in the eastern CCFZ and provide important information on benthic ecosystem functioning in an area targeted for commercial‐scale, deep‐sea mining activities.

We report on the distribution and abundance of megafauna on a deep-water rocky reef (1796–2373 m) in the Fram Strait, west of Svalbard. Biodiversity and population density are high, with a maximum average of 26.7±0.9 species m−2 and 418.1±49.6 individuals m−2 on the east side of the reef summit. These figures contrast with the surrounding abyssal plain fauna, with an average of only 18.1±1.4 species and 29.4±4.3 individuals m−2 (mean ± standard error). The east side of the reef summit, where the highest richness and density of fauna are found, faces into the predominant bottom current, which likely increases in speed to the summit and serves as a source of particulate food for the numerous suspension feeders present there. We conclude that the observed faunal distribution patterns could be the result of hydrodynamic patterns and food availability above and around the reef. To our knowledge, this study is the first to describe the distribution and diversity of benthic fauna on a rocky reef in deep water.

In the high Arctic, recruitment of hard‐bottom benthic organisms has been studied at single locations, but little is known about how it varies spatially or temporally, or how it is influenced by abiotic factors. In this study, settlement plates were simultaneously deployed at five locations in three Svalbard (Norway) fjords at depths ranging from 7 m to 215 m. Recruitment was significantly different among fjords and among locations within a fjord. Recruits at each site co‐occurred randomly even though interspecific overgrowth was observed. This finding provides further evidence that there is not necessarily a relationship between non‐random co‐occurrence and interspecific competition, such as is traditionally assumed for other isolated, island‐like habitats. We found significantly lower recruitment in an Arctic‐influenced fjord than in more Atlantic‐influenced fjords. The abundance and richness of recruits was significantly lower in fall‐winter than in spring‐summer, but the spirorbid Circeis armoricana recruited in high abundance in fall‐winter. Both the abundance and taxonomic richness of recruits declined exponentially with depth, with the hydroid Stegopoma plicatile dominating at 215 m in an Atlantic‐influenced fjord. The most abundant recruiting taxa (C. armoricana, Semibalanus balanoides, Harmeria scutulata, Celleporella hyalina) can be described as pioneer (early‐succession) species. Crustose coralline algae, a slow‐growing superior competitor, also recruited at one location. Recruitment in Svalbard is highly variable, both spatially and temporally, and our results show the influence of local factors such as adult species composition.

From photographic samples, we describe the benthic megafaunal communities in two north Svalbard fjords and on the adjacent continental shelf. We analyze the fauna in relation to abiotic factors of depth, bottom water temperature, percent cover of hard substrata, heterogeneity of stone size, and bottom-water turbidity to explore how these factors might affect the fauna and how they are related to the functional traits (size, morphology, mobility, colonial/solitary, and feeding type) of the megabenthos. Depth and bottom water temperature were consistently the strongest correlates with faunal composition and functional traits of the constituent species. A greater proportion of the variability in the functional traits of the megabenthos could be explained by abiotic factors rather than faunal composition, indicating that the abiotic factors of depth and temperature were strongly related to the functional traits of the megabenthos. On a local scale, stone size heterogeneity explained most variation in the functional traits of the megabenthos in one fjord. The results of this case study show a significant relationship between bottom water temperature and the functioning of north Svalbard megabenthic communities. If our results are representative for other areas, warming temperatures in the Arctic may decrease the variety of functional traits represented in Svalbard megabenthos, resulting in scavenger-dominated communities. A reduction in megabenthic biomass may also result, reducing energy availability to higher trophic levels.