A proposed biogeography of the deep ocean floor

Watling, Les; Guinotte, John M.; Clark, Malcolm R.; Smith, Craig R.

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2012.11.003

Cited by 288 publications

(327 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…With the exception of certain continental margin habitats (e.g., OMZs, some canyons and seamounts) and chemosynthetic ecosystems, most of the deep sea, and particularly the abyss, is characterized by severe food limitation (POC flux of 1-2 g C m -2 yr -1 ; Watling et al, 2013) ( Table 1; Figure 1). Currently, regions with the highest POC export lie at high latitudes, although transfer efficiency (the proportion of POC exported that arrives at the seafloor) is lowest here compared to lower latitudes.…”

Section: Poc Flux or Food Supplymentioning

confidence: 99%

Major impacts of climate change on deep-sea benthic ecosystems

Sweetman

Thurber

Smith

et al. 2017

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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282

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The deep sea encompasses the largest ecosystems on Earth. Although poorly known, deep seafloor ecosystems provide services that are vitally important to the entire ocean and biosphere. Rising atmospheric greenhouse gases are bringing about significant changes in the environmental properties of the ocean realm in terms of water column oxygenation, temperature, pH and food supply, with concomitant impacts on deep-sea ecosystems. Projections suggest that abyssal (3000-6000 m) ocean temperatures could increase by 1°C over the next 84 years, while abyssal seafloor habitats under areas of deep-water formation may experience reductions in water column oxygen concentrations by as much as 0.03 mL L -1 by 2100. Bathyal depths (200-3000 m) worldwide will undergo the most significant reductions in pH in all oceans by the year 2100 (0.29 to 0.37 pH units). O 2 concentrations will also decline in the bathyal NE Pacific and Southern Oceans, with losses up to 3.7% or more, especially at intermediate depths. Another important environmental parameter, the flux of particulate organic matter to the seafloor, is likely to decline significantly in most oceans, most notably in the abyssal and bathyal Indian Ocean where it is predicted to decrease by 40-55% by the end of the century. Unfortunately, how these major changes will affect deep-seafloor ecosystems is, in some cases, very poorly understood. In this paper, we provide a detailed overview of the impacts of these changing environmental parameters on deep-seafloor ecosystems that will most likely be seen by 2100 in continental margin, abyssal and polar settings. We also consider how these changes may combine with other anthropogenic stressors (e.g., fishing, mineral mining, oil and gas extraction) to further impact deep-seafloor ecosystems and discuss the possible societal implications.

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Section: Poc Flux or Food Supplymentioning

confidence: 99%

Major impacts of climate change on deep-sea benthic ecosystems

Sweetman

Thurber

Smith

et al. 2017

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

Self Cite

282

297

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“…The hadal zone extends from 6500 m down to almost 11,000 m depth and accounts for nearly half of the ocean's depth range (UNESCO 2009;Watling et al 2013). Using this definition, a total of 46 individual hadal habitats, including 33 trenches (elongated basins formed by tectonic subduction or fault) and 13 troughs (basins within an abyssal plain not formed at converging plate boundaries), have been identified worldwide with a combined surface area of 800,500 km 2 , < 1% of the global seabed area (Jamieson 2015).…”

Section: Deep Sea: Hadal Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of meiofauna in extreme marine ecosystems: a review

et al. 2017

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Extreme marine environments cover more than 50% of the Earth's surface and offer many opportunities for investigating the biological responses and adaptations of organisms to stressful life conditions. Extreme marine environments are sometimes associated with ephemeral and unstable ecosystems, but can host abundant, often endemic and welladapted meiofaunal species. In this review, we present an integrated view of the biodiversity, ecology and physiological responses of marine meiofauna inhabiting several extreme marine environments (mangroves, submarine caves, Polar ecosystems, hypersaline areas, hypoxic/anoxic environments, hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, carcasses/sunken woods, deep-sea canyons, deep hypersaline anoxic basins [DHABs] and hadal zones). Foraminiferans, nematodes and copepods are abundant in almost all of these habitats and are dominant in deep-sea ecosystems. The presence and dominance of some other taxa that are normally less common may be typical of certain extreme conditions. Kinorhynchs are particularly well adapted to cold seeps and other environments that experience drastic changes in salinity, rotifers are well represented in polar ecosystems and loriciferans seem to be the only metazoan able to survive multiple stressors in DHABs. As well as natural processes, human activities may generate stressful conditions, including deoxygenation, acidification and rises in temperature. The behaviour and physiology of different meiofaunal taxa, such as some foraminiferans, nematode and copepod species, can provide vital information on how organisms may respond to these challenges and can provide a warning signal of anthropogenic impacts. From an evolutionary perspective, the discovery of new meiofauna taxa from extreme environments very often sheds light on phylogenetic relationships, while understanding how meiofaunal organisms are able to survive or even flourish in these conditions can explain evolutionary pathways. Finally, there are multiple potential economic benefits to be gained from ecological, biological, physiological and evolutionary studies of meiofauna in extreme environments. Despite all the advantages offered by meiofauna studies from extreme environments, there is still an urgent need to foster meiofauna research in terms of composition, ecology, biology and physiology focusing on extreme environments.

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“…They need to have negative buoyancy and have suffered a considerable reduction in size and functionality of their swim bladder (Jones & Sulak, 1990), and to be heavier than water, deep-sea species store high concentrations of lipids in their tissues (Bakes, Elliott, Greens, & Nichols, 1995). This could be a particular adaptation of the genus Bathypterois for the ECP conditions, which between 800 and 2 000 m depth have temperatures from 2 to 5 °C and salinities from 33 to 35, in contrast with the Mediterranean Sea, less dynamic, warmer and salty (10-22 °C, salinity: 36-38), where B. mediterraneus has a negative allometric relationships (Catalan Sea: b = 2.37; West Ionian Sea: b = 2.81; Eastern Ionian Sea: b = 2.82) (Morales Nin et al, 1996;D'Onghia et al, 2004;Watling et al, 2013).…”

Section: Relationship Between Environmental Factors and Species Distrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Abiotic factors, such as depth, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentrations (DO), pressure, organic carbon concentration, substrate and physical barriers could determine the geographic and bathymetric distribution of the species, both regionally and locally (Watling, Guinotte, Clark, & Smith, 2013). The depth and temperature affect the geographic and vertical distribution of the Bathypterois species, although, the influence of DO in their distribution patterns has not been evaluated (Sulak, 1977).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%