A new species of amphipod crustacean, Pleusymtes comitari sp. nov., associated with gorgonians on deep-water coral reefs off Ireland

Myers, Alan A.; Hall-Spencer, Jason M.

doi:10.1017/s0025315404010367h

Cited by 13 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…However, the depth at which the peak in diversity is reached varies tremendously and also depends on the taxa investigated. found that, for polychaetes, the highest number of species was seen between 1400-1800 m along the Hebridean Slope, NE Atlantic, whilst Cosson-Sarradin et al (1998) saw a parabolic shaped curve in polychaete diversity with depth in the tropical NE Atlantic, with the maximum occurring at a depth of 2000 m. Gage et al (2000) found that macrofaunal diversity peaked at about 1400 m along the Scottish continental slope, although in the Faroe-Shetland Channel, the genus-level diversity maximum occurs at depths between 450 and 550 m (Bett, 2001;Narayanaswamy et al, 2005Narayanaswamy et al, , 2010. To confuse the issue, bivalves (Allen and Sanders, 1996) and gastropods (Rex et al, 1997) have a variety of patterns in the different basins of the South and North Atlantic.…”

Section: One Of the Highest Diversities On The Planetmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…(Hovland, 2008;Roberts et al, 2006Roberts et al, , 2008. Although the inventory is ever growing, currently over 1300 species have been reported from cold-water coral reefs, some of which are new to science (Myers and Hall-Spencer, 2004;Mortensen and Fosså, 2006;Henry and Roberts, 2007;Guerra-Garcia, 2008). There are also biogeogrpahic variations in the species found associated to Lophelia and an overall biodiversity decrease from south to north (Hall-Spencer et al, 2002Roberts et al, 2008).…”

Section: Lophelia Reefs: Hot Spots Of Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

et al. 2010

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Abstract. The deep sea, the largest biome on Earth, has a series of characteristics that make this environment both distinct from other marine and land ecosystems and unique for the entire planet. This review describes these patterns and processes, from geological settings to biological processes, biodiversity and biogeographical patterns. It concludes with a brief discussion of current threats from anthropogenic activities to deep-sea habitats and their fauna.Investigations of deep-sea habitats and their fauna began in the late 19th century. In the intervening years, technological developments and stimulating discoveries have promoted deep-sea research and changed our way of understanding life on the planet. Nevertheless, the deep sea is still mostly unknown and current discovery rates of both habitats and species remain high. The geological, physical and Correspondence to: E. Ramirez-Llodra (ezr@icm.csic.es) geochemical settings of the deep-sea floor and the water column form a series of different habitats with unique characteristics that support specific faunal communities. Since 1840, 28 new habitats/ecosystems have been discovered from the shelf break to the deep trenches and discoveries of new habitats are still happening in the early 21st century. However, for most of these habitats the global area covered is unknown or has been only very roughly estimated; an even smaller -indeed, minimal -proportion has actually been sampled and investigated. We currently perceive most of the deep-sea ecosystems as heterotrophic, depending ultimately on the flux on organic matter produced in the overlying surface ocean through photosynthesis. The resulting strong food limitation thus shapes deep-sea biota and communities, with exceptions only in reducing ecosystems such as inter alia hydrothermal vents or cold seeps. Here, chemoautolithotrophic bacteria play the role of primary producers fuelled by chemical energy sources rather than sunlight. Other ecosystems, such as seamounts, canyons or cold-water corals have an Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 2852 E. Ramirez-Llodra et al.: Unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem increased productivity through specific physical processes, such as topographic modification of currents and enhanced transport of particles and detrital matter. Because of its unique abiotic attributes, the deep sea hosts a specialized fauna. Although there are no phyla unique to deep waters, at lower taxonomic levels the composition of the fauna is distinct from that found in the upper ocean. Amongst other characteristic patterns, deep-sea species may exhibit either gigantism or dwarfism, related to the decrease in food availability with depth. Food limitation on the seafloor and water column is also reflected in the trophic structure of heterotrophic deep-sea communities, which are adapted to low energy availability. In most of these heterotrophic habitats, the dominant megafauna is composed of detritivores, while filter feeders are abundant in...

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Section: One Of the Highest Diversities On The Planetmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Lophelia Reefs: Hot Spots Of Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

et al. 2010

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Section: Lophelia Reefs: Hot Spots Of Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

Ramírez-Llodra¹,

Brandt²,

Danovaro³

et al. 2010

Preprint

167

225

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The deep sea, the largest biome on Earth, has a series of characteristics that make this environment both distinct from other marine and land ecosystems and unique for the entire planet. This review describes these patterns and processes, from geological settings to biological processes, biodiversity and biogeographical patterns. It concludes with a brief discussion of current threats from anthropogenic activities to deep-sea habitats and their fauna. Investigations of deep-sea habitats and their fauna began in the late 19th Century. In the intervening years, technological developments and stimulating discoveries have promoted deep-sea research and changed our way of understanding life on the planet. Nevertheless, the deep sea is still mostly unknown and current discovery rates of both habitats and species remain high. The geological, physical and geochemical settings of the deep-sea floor and the water column form a series of different habitats with unique characteristics that support specific faunal communities. Since 1840, 27 new habitats/ecosystems have been discovered from the shelf break to the deep trenches and discoveries of new habitats are still happening in the early 21st Century. However, for most of these habitats, the global area covered is unknown or has been only very roughly estimated; an even smaller – indeed, minimal – proportion has actually been sampled and investigated. We currently perceive most of the deep-sea ecosystems as heterotrophic, depending ultimately on the flux on organic matter produced in the overlying surface ocean through photosynthesis. The resulting strong food limitation, thus, shapes deep-sea biota and communities, with exceptions only in reducing ecosystems such as inter alia hydrothermal vents or cold seeps, where chemoautolithotrophic bacteria play the role of primary producers fuelled by chemical energy sources rather than sunlight. Other ecosystems, such as seamounts, canyons or cold-water corals have an increased productivity through specific physical processes, such as topographic modification of currents and enhanced transport of particles and detrital matter. Because of its unique abiotic attributes, the deep sea hosts a specialized fauna. Although there are no phyla unique to deep waters, at lower taxonomic levels the composition of the fauna is distinct from that found in the upper ocean. Amongst other characteristic patterns, deep-sea species may exhibit either gigantism or dwarfism, related to the decrease in food availability with depth. Food limitation on the seafloor and water column is also reflected in the trophic structure of deep-sea communities, which are adapted to low energy availability. In most of the heterotrophic deep-sea settings, the dominant megafauna is composed of detritivores, while filter feeders are abundant in habitats with hard substrata (e.g. mid-ocean ridges, seamounts, canyon walls and coral reefs) and chemoautotrophy through symbiotic relationships is dominant in reducing habitats. ...

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“…These areas usually provide a complex structural habitat supporting a diverse associated fauna (Henry & Roberts, ), and so are recognized as biodiversity hotspots (Hovland, ). Although the inventory is continually growing, currently more than 1300 species have been reported from CWC reefs and colonies (Guerra‐García, Sorbe, & Frutos, ; Henry & Roberts, ; Mortensen & Fosså, ; Myers & Hall‐Spencer, ). In the Mediterranean, the CWC province of S. Maria di Leuca (Ionian Sea, southern Mediterranean) is reported to host more than 250 accompanying species (D'Onghia et al, ; Mastrototaro et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold‐water coral Madrepora oculata in the eastern Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean): Historical and recent findings

Fanelli

Delbono

Ivaldi³

et al. 2017

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Cold-water coral (CWC) ecosystems are long-lived, slow-growing and fragile, which makes them especially vulnerable to physical damage. In recent decades, CWCs have been severely threatened by fisheries, hydrocarbon extraction, pollution and other human activities.2. In the Mediterranean Sea, some investigations have been carried out on CWC ecosystems, mostly focused on their distributions within the central and eastern basins. 3. Historical reports and fishermen's maps for the eastern Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean) from the 1960s document the occurrence of extensive banks of living CWC, mostly Madrepora oculata, between depths of 200 and 500 m. 4. In 2013/2014, multibeam, side scan sonar (SSS) and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys were carried out in that area, specifically in the Levante Canyon, to assess the occurrence, distribution and conservation status of CWC. 5. The SSS and ROV showed numerous trawl tracks and small (10 cm high), dead, buried colonies at 300-500 m. Deeper, between 525 and 575 m, dense populations of living, 1 m high colonies of Madrepora oculata were found on the flanks of Levante Canyon. The deep sites showed colonies overturned or entangled by long-line fishing activities. 6. The discovery of new CWC banks not yet heavily damaged by fishing activities, suggests that urgent measures for conservation should be taken in the Mediterranean and worldwide. The present limitation of trawl-fishing to above 1000 m depth, established by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) in 2005, seems to be ineffective, since CWCs are mostly located at less than 1000 m depth in the Ligurian Sea. A network of high-seas/deep-sea marine protected areas (MPAs) would favour a better strategy for protecting substantial areas of CWCs. KEYWORDS cold-water coral ecosystems, Levante Canyon, Madrepora oculata, marine protected areas, Mediterranean Sea, remotely operated vehicle, seafloor mapping

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A new species of amphipod crustacean, Pleusymtes comitari sp. nov., associated with gorgonians on deep-water coral reefs off Ireland

Cited by 13 publications

References 13 publications

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

Cold‐water coral Madrepora oculata in the eastern Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean): Historical and recent findings

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