Epifaunal zonation and community structure in three Mid- and North Atlantic canyons : final report for the canyon assessment study in the Mid- and North Atlantic areas of the U.S. outer continental shelf / Barbara Hecker, Gretchen Blechschmidt and Patricia Gibson.

Blechschmidt, G.; Gibson, Patricia.; Hecker, Barbara

doi:10.5962/bhl.title.4836

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 25 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 Gullysupporting

confidence: 68%

“…Observations of epibenthic megafauna community structure and biomass on continental shelves and slopes off New England and east Greenland support this generality. Canyons on NW Atlantic continental shelves (Hecker et al 1980, Rowe et al 1982, Houston & Haedrich 1984 and in the NE Atlantic show variations from rock and gravel on the margins to silt in deeper areas. 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.…”

Section: Gradients In Epifauna Biodiversity Within the Gullymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most studies have been restricted to shallow areas of the Scotian Shelf such as Banquereau, Sable, Emerald, Browns and Western Banks, and are primarily descriptive in nature. Few investigations have examined benthic fauna in deeper (> 400 m) areas, although it is known that other submarine canyon environments on shelves show higher abundance and biodiversity than adjacent slope areas (Hecker et al 1980, Houston & Haedrich 1984.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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 Gullysupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Gradients In Epifauna Biodiversity Within the Gullymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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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“…This latter result agreed with previous accounts (Hecker et al . ; Williams ; López‐González et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative biometry and isotopy of three dominant pennatulacean corals in the Northwest Atlantic

Baillon

English

Hamel³

et al. 2015

Acta Zoologica

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Baillon, S., English, M., Hamel, J.-F. and Mercier, A. 2015. Comparative biometry and isotopy of three dominant pennatulacean corals in the Northwest Atlantic. -Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 00: 000-000.Spatial and temporal shifts in biometric features were examined in three common deep-water pennatulacean corals (sea pens) from the Northwest Atlantic: Anthoptilum grandiflorum, Halipteris finmarchica and Pennatula aculeata. These three species show different morphological characters and adaptations to their environment. Analyses of colony length, ratio of peduncle to colony length, weight/length ratio, polyp size and density as well as sclerite shape, location and abundance indicate that their phenotype is modulated by environmental factors (e.g. food availability, currents and sediment type) and antipredator strategies. Moreover, the three species had different carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures that could be explain primarily by their different polyp diameters and colony shapes, suggesting that they rely on slightly different food sources (varying proportions of phytodetritus and zooplankton). Finally, sclerites were found only in H. finmarchica and P. aculeata and are not known to occur in A. grandiflorum, except for minute oval bodies inside the peduncle. The Mg/Ca ratio of sclerites differed between the two species and, for P. aculeata, among types of sclerites, evoking different biomineralization pathways related to their functional roles (structural support or defence). Overall, this study provides new information on the ecology of poorly known species, which are ubiquitous and suspected to play an important ecological role in deep-water ecosystems.

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“…obs.). Deep-sea corals (mostly octocorals) are common on most hard substrata in and near the canyons, especially shallower than 1000 m (Hecker and Blechschmidt 1980;Brooke and Ross 2014), and contributed substantially to habitat complexity.…”

Section: Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demersal fish distribution and habitat use within and near Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons, U.S. middle Atlantic slope

Ross

Rhode

Quattrini

2015

Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers

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Epifaunal zonation and community structure in three Mid- and North Atlantic canyons : final report for the canyon assessment study in the Mid- and North Atlantic areas of the U.S. outer continental shelf / Barbara Hecker, Gretchen Blechschmidt and Patricia Gibson.

Cited by 9 publications

References 25 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

Comparative biometry and isotopy of three dominant pennatulacean corals in the Northwest Atlantic

Demersal fish distribution and habitat use within and near Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons, U.S. middle Atlantic slope

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