Modification of Marine Benthos by Trawling: Toward a Generalization for the Deep Ocean?

Cryer, Martin; Hartill, Bruce; O’Shea, Steve

doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2002)012[1824:mombbt]2.0.co;2

Cited by 45 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Commercial trawling can reach depths of down to 1200 m (Cryer et al 2002). Besides impacting the resident benthos, these disturbances alter the physical habitat, sedimentation and nutrient cycling (Hotzel & Miller 1983, Churchill 1989, Lewis & Blasco 1990, Mayer et al 1991.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recolonization of soft-sediment ice scours on an exposed Arctic coast

Conlan¹,

Kvitek²

2005

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Ice scour is the most disruptive and widespread physical disturbance that naturally affects the coastal benthos in polar waters, where it creates a mosaic of disturbances in various stages of recolonization. The purpose of this study was to (1) determine the timing and sequence of biotic recovery following ice scour disturbance of soft sediment and (2) test the general hypothesis that ice scour increases biotic diversity in high-latitude benthic communities. The study area was a 6.6 km length of Barrow Strait along the exposed coast of Cornwallis Island in High Arctic Canada. Corecollected (0.0075 m 2 ) macrofauna (≥ 0.5 mm) inhabiting 19 scours at 12 to 28 m depth were sampled during open water in August of 1991 to 1996 and again in 1999. We repeat-sampled 2 scours for 6 summers, 3 scours for 3 summers, and 2 for 2 summers, while the other 12 scours were sampled once. Sampling was severely limited by availability of open water which was constrained by frequent invasion of the study area by drift ice. Young ice scours were refugia for the dorvilleid polychaete Ophryotrocha spatula. Its numbers declined precipitously as the scours aged. Other early colonists maintained or increased their abundance. Most of the later colonists significantly increased in abundance as the scours aged despite the presence of the early colonists. Abundance, biomass and species richness increased progressively with scour ageing but did not significantly exceed that in the unscoured community. Thus, although the scours differed from the unscoured reference community in species composition, they were not havens for species-rich or highly different assemblages (at least not among core-collected macrofauna). Recolonization of ice scours ≤ 9 yr old fitted a linear model. Assuming that further colonization would continue to be linear, the 2 scours monitored the longest had achieved 65 to 84% recolonization by Ages 8 to 9. The unscoured reference community was significantly more diverse, massive and abundant where disturbance was a chronic but infrequent occurrence, compared to where it was protected from ice scour by an offshore rise. Thus, ice scour appears to have a positive effect on the benthos of this coast.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recolonization of soft-sediment ice scours on an exposed Arctic coast

Conlan¹,

Kvitek²

2005

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Castro & Medeiros (2001) and Castro et al (2006) recorded 13 species of pennatulaceans, belonging to 6 families, along the Brazilian coast. Seven of these recorded species came from depths below 200 m. The sea pen Anthoptilum murrayi Kölliker 1880 has been reported from the shelf to the upper continental slope of the North Atlantic, the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Faraday Seamount, the Indian Ocean and waters around New Zealand and Australia (Jungersen 1904, Thomson & Henderson 1906, Deichmann 1936, Cryer et al 2002, McFadden et al 2006, Molodtsova et al 2008, Mortensen et al 2008, Cairns et al 2009). The first specimens from the South Atlantic were collected off Brazil, from 13°to 22°S (Pinto 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive biology of the deep-sea pennatulacean Anthoptilum murrayi (Cnidaria, Octocorallia)

Pires¹,

Castro²,

Silva³

2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Anthoptilum murrayi has been reported from the North Atlantic, northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Indian Ocean and in waters around New Zealand and Australia. Recently, this species was also recorded in deep waters off Brazil, southwestern Atlantic. It was from this region (13°to 22°S) that specimens were collected, in 1300 to 1799 m, to determine the reproductive biology of A. murrayi using histological methods. The colony polyparium was divided into 3 zones (distal, medial and basal) to evaluate differences in gamete development between zones; dissected polyps were examined from the 3 zones to estimate fecundity. The species appears to display a continuous and long breeding activity rather than any seasonal reproductive pattern. Most oocytes were in the earliest stages of development and basal polyps presented the highest frequency of small eggs. The large mature oocytes (up to 1200 µm) indicate that A. murrayi produces lecithotrophic larvae. Females had 0 to 90 oocytes per polyp and 25 713 to 35 918 oocytes per colony. Male colonies of similar size to the female samples were shown to have 6 to 76 cysts per polyp and 14 014 to 27 019 cysts per colony. A. murrayi is a sessile gonochoric species with a 1:1 sex ratio and is most likely a broadcast spawner. The species has high fecundity, large eggs that could represent larger targets for sperm, primitive spermatophores, as well as a large number of polyps per colony. These factors, along with a patchy distribution, would enhance the chance of fertilization for A. murrayi and may guarantee a successful reproductive strategy for this species.

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“…The two regions are already subject to different impacts from fishingwith higher bottom trawl intensity on the Hikurangi Margin than in the Bay of Plenty. Thus it is probable that megafaunal communities at deep-sea habitats in the former region are already impacted (Cryer et al, 2002;Bowden et al, 2013). Although communities in regions that have already been chronically disturbed may also require protection (especially if believed close to an ecological tipping point), in general there is a greater need to afford protection on a regional basis to relatively un-impacted benthic communities-e.g., in the Bay of Plenty.…”

Section: Implications For the Management Of Anthropogenic Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In New Zealand, deep-sea fisheries are economically valuable but can impact habitats with vulnerable benthic communities (e.g., seamounts: Clark and Rowden, 2009;Williams et al, 2010b;canyons: De Leo et al, 2010;seeps: Baco et al, 2010;Bowden et al, 2013), and the fauna of the open slope (e.g., Cryer et al, 2002). Consumers are becoming more aware of the issues surrounding the sustainability of fisheries, thus research that can inform approaches to balance fisheries exploitation with conservation of vulnerable deep-sea communities are of interest to resource and environmental managers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat Differences in Deep-Sea Megafaunal Communities off New Zealand: Implications for Vulnerability to Anthropogenic Disturbance and Management

et al. 2016

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Research on benthic communities in the deep sea has focused largely on habitats in isolation, with few studies considering multiple habitats simultaneously in a comparable manner. The present study aimed to determine the structural differences in benthic communities of continental slope, seamount, canyon, vent, and seep habitats, and assess their relative vulnerabilities to disturbance from bottom trawling and potential seabed mining. Megafaunal invertebrate communities of these habitats were sampled in two regions off New Zealand, in four depth strata between 700 and 1500 m, using an epibenthic sled and a beam trawl. Patterns of community and trophic structure, and the potential influence of environmental variables, were determined using multivariate analyses. The difference in community structure between regions was greater than among habitats and depth strata. Levels of food availability may explain regional differences in community structure, although some influence of fishing disturbance is also possible. Differences in community and trophic structure were most pronounced between the chemosynthetic vent and seep habitats, and other habitats. Differences among these other habitats within a region were inconsistent, except that canyon and slope communities always differed from each other. Community and trophic structural patterns were partly explained by the environmental differences observed among habitats. The relative vulnerabilities of benthic communities to human disturbance in the two regions were determined based on patterns of abundance and feeding mode of the megafauna. Communities of vent and seep habitats were assessed to be more vulnerable to disturbance than those of the other habitats based on a number of habitat-related attributes. However, the relative vulnerability of megafaunal communities at slope, canyon, and seamount habitats could not confidently be assessed on a habitat basis alone. The results of the present study have implications for how regional and habitat differences in benthic communities are incorporated into spatial management options for the deep sea.

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Modification of Marine Benthos by Trawling: Toward a Generalization for the Deep Ocean?

Cited by 45 publications

References 51 publications

Recolonization of soft-sediment ice scours on an exposed Arctic coast

Recolonization of soft-sediment ice scours on an exposed Arctic coast

Reproductive biology of the deep-sea pennatulacean Anthoptilum murrayi (Cnidaria, Octocorallia)

Habitat Differences in Deep-Sea Megafaunal Communities off New Zealand: Implications for Vulnerability to Anthropogenic Disturbance and Management

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