Advances in deep-sea biology: biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and conservation. An introduction and overview

Cunha, Marina R.; Hilario, Ana Belén Ríos; Santos, Ricardo S.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.02.003

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The effects of persistent trawling are said to result in reduced diversity of epifauna and endofauna (Almeida et al, 2017;Jennings et al, 2001;Pusceddu et al, 2014;Roberts et al, 2000;Tillin et al, 2006), with a shift in communities towards a dominance of scavenger species (Blanchard et al 2004;Jennings & Kaiser, 1998). However, the degree to which deep benthic fauna are resilient to long-lasting bottom trawling and the implications on marine food webs is still poorly understood (Arroyo et al, 2017;Cunha et al, 2017;Hiddink et al, 2017;Vieira, 2017). Ecological indicators, such as trophic and size structure, community biomass and diversity, reflect overall changes in ecosystems (Blanchard et al, 2017;Mindel et al, 2018), but substantial knowledge gaps and long-term data deficiency contributes to deficient assessment of the extent of human-induced effects, particularly through fisheries, on deep-water ecosystems (Rogers et al, 2015).…”

Section: Ecosystem Effects and Implications For The Seabedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep‐water fisheries along the British Isles continental slopes: status, ecosystem effects and future perspectives

Vieira

Trueman

Readdy

et al. 2019

Journal of Fish Biology

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In this paper, we revisit the state of deep‐water fisheries to the west of the British Isles and aim to provide an overview on the key drivers behind community changes along continental margins. The deep‐water fisheries to the west of the British Isles that extend from the shelf‐slope break down to the lower slope and along banks and seamounts of the Rockall Basin, mainly target blue ling Molva dypterygia, roundnose grenadier Coryphaenoides rupestris, orange roughy Hoplostethus atlanticus, with by‐catches of black scabbardfish Aphanopus carbo and tusk Brosme brosme. These fishing grounds experienced a long period of exhaustive exploitation until the early 2000s, but subsequently the implementation of management strategies has helped to relieve excessive fishing pressure. It is widely accepted that a better understanding of the long‐term implications of disturbance is needed to understand patterns in deep‐water communities and what sustainable use and exploitation of resources might look like in this context.

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Section: Ecosystem Effects and Implications For The Seabedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep‐water fisheries along the British Isles continental slopes: status, ecosystem effects and future perspectives

Vieira

Trueman

Readdy

et al. 2019

Journal of Fish Biology

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“…Biological, ecological, and environmental data collation and analysis are vital for furthering understanding of deep‐sea biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, data to facilitate knowledge of the response of biodiversity to natural and anthropogenic disturbance are also critical (Cunha, Hilário, & Santos, ). Collating current data and knowledge on the range of human activities and associated pressures occurring across the UK deep sea is a key step in progressing successful management and sustainable use of these ecosystems.…”

Section: Progress In Developing and Consolidating Our Understanding Omentioning

confidence: 99%

UK deep‐sea conservation: Progress, lessons learned, and actions for the future

Chaniotis

Robson

Lemasson

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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Despite a relatively long history of scientific interest fuelled by exploratory research cruises, the UK deep sea has only recently emerged as the subject of targeted and proactive conservation. Enabling legislation over the past 10 years has resulted in the designation of marine protected areas and the implementation of fisheries management areas as spatial conservation tools. This paper reflects on progress and lessons learned, recommending actions for the future. Increased investment has been made to improve the evidence base for deep‐sea conservation, including collaborative research surveys and use of emerging technologies. New open data portals and developments in marine habitat classification systems have been two notable steps to furthering understanding of deep‐sea biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in support of conservation action. There are still extensive gaps in fundamental knowledge of deep‐sea ecosystems and of cause and effect. Costs of new technologies and a limited ability to share data in a timely and efficient manner across sectors are barriers to furthering understanding. In addition, whilst the concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services are considered a useful tool to support the achievement of conservation goals, practical application is challenging. Continued collaborative research efforts and engagement with industry to share knowledge and resources could offer cost‐effective solutions to some of these barriers. Further elaboration of the concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services will aid understanding of the costs and benefits associated with human–environment interactions and support informed decision‐making in conserving the deep sea. Whilst multiple challenges arise for deep‐sea conservation, it is critical to continue ongoing conservation efforts, including exploration and collaboration, and to adopt new conservation strategies that are implemented in a systematic and holistic way and to ensure that these are adaptive to growing economic interest in this marine area.

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“…Deep-sea habitat explorations remain disparate, and have mainly been focused on the Northern Hemisphere while the Southern Hemisphere has remained underexplored (Cunha et al, 2017). Papua New Guinea and Mayotte (northern Mozambique Channel) are two southern regions where high faunal diversity has been reported (Obura, 2012;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When Imagery and Physical Sampling Work Together: Toward an Integrative Methodology of Deep-Sea Image-Based Megafauna Identification

et al. 2021

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Imagery has become a key tool for assessing deep-sea megafaunal biodiversity, historically based on physical sampling using fishing gears. Image datasets provide quantitative and repeatable estimates, small-scale spatial patterns and habitat descriptions. However, taxon identification from images is challenging and often relies on morphotypes without considering a taxonomic framework. Taxon identification is particularly challenging in regions where the fauna is poorly known and/or highly diverse. Furthermore, the efficiency of imagery and physical sampling may vary among habitat types. Here, we compared biodiversity metrics (alpha and gamma diversity, composition) based on physical sampling (dredging and trawling) and towed-camera still images (1) along the upper continental slope of Papua New Guinea (sedimented slope with wood-falls, a canyon and cold seeps), and (2) on the outer slopes of the volcanic islands of Mayotte, dominated by hard bottoms. The comparison was done on selected taxa (Pisces, Crustacea, Echinoidea, and Asteroidea), which are good candidates for identification from images. Taxonomic identification ranks obtained for the images varied among these taxa (e.g., family/order for fishes, genus for echinoderms). At these ranks, imagery provided a higher taxonomic richness for hard-bottom and complex habitats, partially explained by the poor performance of trawling on these rough substrates. For the same reason, the gamma diversity of Pisces and Crustacea was also higher from images, but no difference was observed for echinoderms. On soft bottoms, physical sampling provided higher alpha and gamma diversity for fishes and crustaceans, but these differences tended to decrease for crustaceans identified to the species/morphospecies level from images. Physical sampling and imagery were selective against some taxa (e.g., according to size or behavior), therefore providing different facets of biodiversity. In addition, specimens collected at a larger scale facilitated megafauna identification from images. Based on this complementary approach, we propose a robust methodology for image-based faunal identification relying on a taxonomic framework, from collaborative work with taxonomists. An original outcome of this collaborative work is the creation of identification keys dedicated specifically to in situ images and which take into account the state of the taxonomic knowledge for the explored sites.

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Advances in deep-sea biology: biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and conservation. An introduction and overview

Cited by 16 publications

References 42 publications

Deep‐water fisheries along the British Isles continental slopes: status, ecosystem effects and future perspectives

Deep‐water fisheries along the British Isles continental slopes: status, ecosystem effects and future perspectives

UK deep‐sea conservation: Progress, lessons learned, and actions for the future

When Imagery and Physical Sampling Work Together: Toward an Integrative Methodology of Deep-Sea Image-Based Megafauna Identification

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