Epibenthic community patterns on the continental slope off East Greenland at 75* N

Mayer, Michaela; Piepenburg, Dieter

doi:10.3354/meps143151

Cited by 59 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…As in our study, distribution patterns of species assemblages and richness were best correlated with seafloor characteristics quantified by the presence of hard surfaces (e.g. number of stones) (Haedrich et al 1975, Hecker et al 1980, Hecker 1990a, Mayer & Piepenburg 1996. Recent observations on Browns Bank on the western Scotian Shelf have also shown that dominant benthic epifauna species assemblages are associated with distinct habitat types based primarily on regional geomorphology, sediment texture and water-mass characteristics (Kostylev et al 2001).…”

Section: Gradients In Epifauna Biodiversity Within the Gullymentioning

confidence: 51%

Benthic epifauna assemblages, biomass and respiration in The Gully region on the Scotian Shelf, NW Atlantic Ocean

Hargrave¹,

Kostylev²,

Hawkins³

2004

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Epifauna community assemblages were identified by analysis of 35 mm still pictures taken at 92 stations in The Gully, a submarine canyon on the edge of the Scotian Shelf off Canada's east coast. Numbers of epifauna taxa, seabed type and area of hard (gravel) substrate were measured in images from underwater camera systems. A substrate hardness index, and epifauna community biomass and respiration rates were calculated at 31 stations within The Gully and on adjacent banks using image analysis, volume conversion factors and an empirical allometric regression between wet weight and measured respiration rates for major epifauna taxa. Average turnover time (TT) in days for each location was calculated as energy stored in biomass to calories respired. Non-parametric correlation analysis on dissimilitarity matrices and cluster analysis based on water mass, substrate type and bathymetry distinguished 6 types of benthic habitats and 7 assemblages of co-occurring assemblages for 175 epifauna taxa associated with specific habitat types. Sandy areas on adjacent banks (50 to 300 m) were dominated by echinoderms. Stations with glaciomarine sediments near the head of The Gully (100 to 500 m), dominated by anemones, sponges and soft corals, had the greatest numbers of taxa. Epifauna biomass and respiration rates were highest where gravel cover was > 50%. There were fewer taxa with lower biomass and respiration in deeper (> 500 m) water. Deep-water brittle stars, hard and soft coral and anemone species predominated where the proportion of hard substrate decreased (< 50%). Average TT was low (388 and 453 d) at stations 200 to 500 m deep and in the mid-central areas of The Gully, where the percentage of rock cover was > 50%, with a trend to higher values (> 600 d) in deeper water. Stations with low TT values were dominated by molluscs. The observations suggest that organically rich particulate matter used by suspension-and depositfeeding epifauna is transported from the head of the canyon and surrounding banks down the axis of The Gully.

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Section: Gradients In Epifauna Biodiversity Within the Gullymentioning

confidence: 51%

Benthic epifauna assemblages, biomass and respiration in The Gully region on the Scotian Shelf, NW Atlantic Ocean

Hargrave¹,

Kostylev²,

Hawkins³

2004

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…By contrast, evenness and species diversity did not differ between channel regions, resembling the macrofaunal community parameters described from the continental margin off Svalbard (Włodarska-Kowalczuk 2004). Overall, benthic community patterns seem to follow a bathymetric/shelf distance zonation at the Greenland Sea slope, which has also been described for megafauna between 190 and 2,800 m depth at 75°N (Mayer and Piepenburg 1996). A seasonally high export of organic particles in the MIZ and increased food availability may sustain high epifaunal densities at the continental rise and the western part of the Ardencaple Canyon (Ramseier et al 1999;Peinert et al 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Seabed imaging techniques such as those used for the description of distribution and community patterns of epibenthic megafauna from soft-bottom environments (e.g. Mayer and Piepenburg 1996;Ambrose et al 2001;Bluhm et al 2005;Soltwedel et al 2009), and biogenic ''substrate islands'' such as sponge stalks (Beaulieu 2001) are valuable tools to quantitatively characterise epibenthic communities on hard substrata (Rice et al 1982;Solan et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonisation of hard substrata along a channel system in the deep Greenland Sea

Schulz

Bergmann

Juterzenka³

et al. 2010

Polar Biol

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The colonisation of hard substrata (HS) by epibenthic megafauna was studied by photographic surveys along the Ardencaple Canyon in the deep western Greenland Sea in 2000. Seven transects at 2,700-3,200 m water depth showed generally low densities of dropstones, sunken wood, and other substrata including anthropogenic material (range: 2-11 HS km -1 ). Overall, 30 different taxa and morphotypes were found on or associated with HS. While the sea anemone Bathyphellia margaritacea and the pantopod Ascorhynchus abyssi dominated the fauna on the substrate surfaces, a ball-shaped morphotype of uncertain taxonomic origin characterised assemblages marginally associated with HS. Community analysis revealed differences in faunal patterns near the continental rise and towards the deep sea, but diversity and evenness did not differ significantly between the various regions. However, we conclude that dropstones and other hard substrata at the seafloor serve as colonisation islands and thereby generally increase small-scale habitat diversity in polar deep-sea environments.

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“…A comparison between our findings and those from other regions of the world ocean (Table 5) is only possible if the studies are based on a similar scientific approach, and if geomorphological characteristics as well as the methods are comparable. Our results from the Subantarctic offshore shelf can best be compared with those of Gutt and Starmans (in press) from the high Antarctic Weddell and Lazarev Seas' shelf and two stations of Meyer and Piepenburg (1996) on the northeastern Greenlandic shelf and shelf edge. Despite the extremely varying sampling effort we come to a few general conclusions: In the high Antarctic echinoderms and bryozoans seem to play a more important role in terms of relative abundance at ecologically comparable sampling sites whereas bivalves and sponges were more dominant at the Magellan off-shore stations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity and community structure of the mega-epibenthos in the Magellan area (South America)

Gutt¹,

Helsen²,

Arntz³

et al. 1999

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY: Epibenthic communites have been investigated at 55 stations in the Magellan region by underwater photography at water depths between 15 and 430m. Five species assemblages were identified of which the two shallow and the two deep ones in the channel system differed considerably in abundance, number of taxa, diversity and species composition. The dominant systematic group of the shallow assemblages were ascidians. In one of these assemblages decapod crustaceans, in the other mainly sessile suspension feeders e.g. sponges, anthozoans and bryozoans were the characteristic taxa. In the deeper assemblages echinoderms were most abundant. The fifth assemblage, consisting of several offshore stations south of the eastern entrance of the Beagle, was more similar to the shallow stations in the channel system in terms of dominant life forms. Various hypotheses were confirmed or rejected: The benthos at the deeper stations in the channel system was not more homogeneous than at the shallow stations. At both the channel and the offshore stations filter feeders were most dominant whereas at the bottom of the channels deposit feeders were more abundant. Differences between the wide Straits of Magellan and the narrow and steep Beagle Channel were not very distinct. The benthic assemblages inside the channel system did not differ considerably from the assemblage outside the channel system with the exception of the stations close to the continental slope of the Atlantic. Differences due to Pacific or Atlantic influences were not recognisable. The biological patterns could best be explained by the environmental parameters water depth, occurrence of soft sediment and biogenic debris.Key words: Mega-epibenthos, Magellan region, community analysis, biodiversity.RESUMEN: BIODIVERSIDAD Y ESTRUCTURA DEL MEGA-EPIBENTOS EN LA REGIÓN DE MAGALLANES (AMÉRICA DEL SUR). -Se estudiaron las comunidades epibentónicas en 55 estaciones de la región de Magallanes en profundidades entre 15 y 430 m mediante fotografía subacuática. Se identificaron cinco comunidades distintas. Las dos comunidades someras y las dos profundas en el sistema de canales revelaron diferencias considerables en lo que se refiere a abundancia, número de taxones, diversidad y composición específica. Las ascidias predominaron en las comunidades someras. En una de ellas, los crustá-ceos decápodos fueron el taxón característico mientras en la otra lo fueron los suspensívoros sésiles tales como esponjas, antozoos o briozoos. En las comunidades de mayor profundidad los equinodermos fueron el grupo más notable. La quinta comunidad, compuesta por varias estaciones situadas al sur de la entrada este del Canal del Beagle, resultó ser muy parecida a la de las estaciones someras en el sistema de canales en términos de formas de vida dominantes. Se aceptaron o rechazaron varias hipótesis. El bentos en las estaciones más profundas del sistema de canales no se mostró más homogéneo que en las estaciones someras. Tanto en las estaciones cercanas como en las estaciones fuera de la costa p...

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Epibenthic community patterns on the continental slope off East Greenland at 75* N

Cited by 59 publications

References 29 publications

Benthic epifauna assemblages, biomass and respiration in The Gully region on the Scotian Shelf, NW Atlantic Ocean

Benthic epifauna assemblages, biomass and respiration in The Gully region on the Scotian Shelf, NW Atlantic Ocean

Colonisation of hard substrata along a channel system in the deep Greenland Sea

Biodiversity and community structure of the mega-epibenthos in the Magellan area (South America)

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