Global bathymetric patterns of standing stock and body size in the deep-sea benthos

Rex, Michael A.; Etter, Ron J.; Morris, Jeremy S.; Crouse, Jenifer; McClain, Craig R.; Johnson, Noor; Stuart, Carol T.; Deming, Jody W.; Thies, Rebecca; Avery, Renee

doi:10.3354/meps317001

Cited by 412 publications

(377 citation statements)

References 132 publications

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“…Depending on the oxygen penetration of sediments, which is generally deeper in greater water depths, foraminifera can be abundant down to more than 5 cm sediment depth (Fontanier et al 2005). Also, the importance of smaller organisms as compared to macrofauna increases with water depth, most likely caused by the limited supply of food in terms of quantity and quality (Piepenburg et al 1995;Clough et al 2005;Rex et al 2006). As their abundance is higher at deeper sites, benthic carbon remineralisation seems to decrease with foraminiferan biomass.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A better proxy than mere biomass would be achieved if functional Polar Biol (2011) 34:2025-20382033 123 composition of benthic communities were considered in the analysis (Bolam et al 2002;Michaud et al 2005), and hence, we coarsely separated biomass into infauna and foraminifera for analysis of driving factors. We did not determine the biomass of microbes and meiofauna, which have higher reproduction and growth rates and are thus more likely to show a detectable shortterm biomass increase in response to organic matter input (Soltwedel 2000;Rex et al 2006). We did not find an increase in foraminifera biomass over the seasonal transition as it has been reported from other investigations (Altenbach 1992; Moodley et al 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spring-to-summer changes and regional variability of benthic processes in the western Canadian Arctic

et al. 2011

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Seasonal dynamics in the activity of Arctic shelf benthos have been the subject of few local studies, and the pronounced among-site variability characterizing their results makes it difficult to upscale and generalize their conclusions. In a regional study encompassing five sites at 100-595 m water depth in the southeastern Beaufort Sea, we found that total pigment concentrations in surficial sediments, used as proxies of general food supply to the benthos, rose significantly after the transition from ice-covered conditions in spring (March-June 2008) to open-water conditions in summer (June-August 2008), whereas sediment Chl a concentrations, typical markers of fresh food input, did not. Macrobenthic biomass (including agglutinated foraminifera [500 lm) varied significantly among sites (1.2-6.4 g C m -2 in spring, 1.1-12.6 g C m -2 in summer), whereas a general spring-to-summer increase was not detected. Benthic carbon remineralisation also ranged significantly among sites (11.9-33.2 mg C m -2 day -1 in spring, 11.6-44.4 mg C m -2 day -1 in summer) and did in addition exhibit a general significant increase from spring-to-summer. Multiple regression analysis suggests that in both spring and summer, sediment Chl a concentration is the prime determinant of benthic carbon remineralisation, but other factors have a significant secondary influence, such as foraminiferan biomass (negative in both seasons), water depth (in spring) and infaunal biomass (in summer). Our findings indicate the importance of the combined and dynamic effects of food supply and benthic community patterns on the carbon remineralisation of the polar shelf benthos in seasonally ice-covered seas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spring-to-summer changes and regional variability of benthic processes in the western Canadian Arctic

et al. 2011

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“…For example, a metaanalysis of samples collected from 1961 to 1985 in the western North Atlantic found that the principal pattern of macrofauna abundance was related to depth-corrected POC flux as determined from the more modern sea-viewing wide fieldof-view sensor (SeaWiFS) ocean color data (13). Analysis of patterns in body size distributions have also found a decrease in average body size with increasing depth and/or decreasing food availability (12,17,18).Time-series research of abyssal communities has been more limited. Previous time-series studies have comprehensively described deep-sea community collapses that occurred in synchrony to glaciations (19) and centennial-scale climate variations since the time of the last glacial maximum (20).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Connections between climate, food limitation, and carbon cycling in abyssal sediment communities

Ruhl

Ellena

Smith

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

126

114

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Diverse faunal groups inhabit deep-sea sediments over much of Earth's surface, but our understanding of how interannual-scale climate variation alters sediment community components and biogeochemical processes remains limited. The vast majority of deep-sea communities depend on a particulate organic carbon food supply that sinks from photosynthetically active surface waters. Variations in food supply depend, in part, on surface climate conditions. Proposed ocean iron fertilization efforts are also intended to alter surface production and carbon export from surface waters. Understanding the ecology of the abyssal sediment community and constituent metazoan macrofauna is important because they influence carbon and nutrient cycle processes at the seafloor through remineralization, bioturbation, and burial of the sunken material. Results from a 10-year study in the abyssal NE Pacific found that climate-driven variations in food availability were linked to total metazoan macrofauna abundance, phyla composition, rank-abundance distributions, and remineralization over seasonal and interannual scales. The long-term analysis suggests that broad biogeographic patterns in deep-sea macrofauna community structure can change over contemporary timescales with changes in surface ocean conditions and provides significant evidence that sediment community parameters can be estimated from atmospheric and upper-ocean conditions. These apparent links between climate, the upper ocean, and deep-sea biogeochemistry need to be considered in determining the long-term carbon storage capacity of the ocean.biogeochemistry ͉ community structure ͉ deep sea ͉ ecology ͉ macrofauna A ppreciating how climate can influence deep-sea communities and biogeochemical cycles is essential in evaluating how they may vary in the future. Current evidence suggests that climate change is resulting in significant alterations of oceanographic conditions worldwide including increased sea-surface temperatures, stronger stratification, and increased acidity (1, 2). The changing climate will likely also impact net primary production (1, 3-7) and the export of particulate organic carbon (POC) to the deep sea. Life on the seafloor depends upon this sinking POC and has a fundamental influence on the amount of carbon and nutrients that are remineralized or buried there. Ocean iron fertilization plans also project increases in surface production and POC export from surface waters, but fertilization impacts are poorly constrained (8, 9), especially for the deep-sea sediment community.Detailed studies of macrofauna, a major component of the sediment community, have been conducted at various locations and depths worldwide and have generally found higher abundances below areas with greater surface production (10-16). Abyssal food supply varies with distance from shore, depth, and surface productivity at basin scales. Previous studies that covered adequate spatial areas, however, understandably lacked long-term temporal perspective. Most spatial studies have effectively compa...

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“…In general, there is a decrease in benthic biomass and abundance with decreasing organic carbon flux (figure 5a; Rowe 1983;Rex et al 2006). Diversity generally increases from regions of low to moderate productivity, and then declines towards regions of higher productivity (figure 5b).…”

Section: (D ) Modification Of Global Iron Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

Ocean fertilization: a potential means of geoengineering?

Lampitt

Achterberg

Anderson

et al. 2008

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

151

120

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The oceans sequester carbon from the atmosphere partly as a result of biological productivity. Over much of the ocean surface, this productivity is limited by essential nutrients and we discuss whether it is likely that sequestration can be enhanced by supplying limiting nutrients. Various methods of supply have been suggested and we discuss the efficacy of each and the potential side effects that may develop as a result. Our conclusion is that these methods have the potential to enhance sequestration but that the current level of knowledge from the observations and modelling carried out to date does not provide a sound foundation on which to make clear predictions or recommendations. For ocean fertilization to become a viable option to sequester CO 2 , we need more extensive and targeted fieldwork and better mathematical models of ocean biogeochemical processes. Models are needed both to interpret field observations and to make reliable predictions about the side effects of large-scale fertilization. They would also be an essential tool with which to verify that sequestration has effectively taken place. There is considerable urgency to address climate change mitigation and this demands that new fieldwork plans are developed rapidly. In contrast to previous experiments, these must focus on the specific objective which is to assess the possibilities of CO 2 sequestration through fertilization.

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Global bathymetric patterns of standing stock and body size in the deep-sea benthos

Cited by 412 publications

References 132 publications

Spring-to-summer changes and regional variability of benthic processes in the western Canadian Arctic

Spring-to-summer changes and regional variability of benthic processes in the western Canadian Arctic

Connections between climate, food limitation, and carbon cycling in abyssal sediment communities

Ocean fertilization: a potential means of geoengineering?

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