Beyond the tip of the seamount: Distinct megabenthic communities found beyond the charismatic summit sponge ground on an arctic seamount (Schulz Bank, Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge)

Meyer, Heidi Kristina; Davies, Andrew J.; Roberts, Emyr Martyn; Xavier, Joana R.; Ribeiro, Pedro A.; Glenner, H.; Birkely, S.-R.; Rapp, H. T.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2022.103920

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 90 publications

(168 reference statements)

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“…Fish observations were made during six ROV dives in 2017 and 2018 (GS2017110‐23‐ROV12, GS2017110‐33‐ROV‐14, GS2017110‐41‐ROV‐19, GS2018108‐19‐ROV‐12, GS2018108‐25‐ROV‐17, and GS2018108‐34‐ROV‐22; Meyer et al, 2022). The videos selected for image analysis were dives that contained dedicated transects traversing over large areas (average transect length = 2979 m) with limited biological sampling besides occasional periods of opportunistic fauna collection.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The summit sits at 580 m below the surface and hosts a dense sponge ground. A geodiiddominated community covers the seamount's steeply sloping bedrock walls until reaching the seafloor at around 2700 m depth (Meyer et al, 2022). various morphologies, and species that are described as LMA and HMA sponges (Table 1).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These are dominated by various species of habitat‐forming sponges (classes Hexactinellida and Demospongiae). However, while these sponge communities are relatively well‐known (Meyer et al, 2022), the fish diversity is only known from limited observations using Autonomous Underwater and Remotely Operated Vehicles (AUVs/ROVs). Despite this, the Schulz's sponge grounds have been hypothesized to serve as habitat and potential nursery for many fish (Meyer et al, 2019), therefore providing important ecosystem functions as also observed in sponge VMEs in other areas (Hawkes et al, 2019; Kenchington et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…annually from 2016 to 2019 using several observational and physical sampling tools, this seamount has now been characterized in a significant amount of detail. In summary, we know about its biological communities (Meyer et al, 2019(Meyer et al, , 2022, their recovery from trawling impacts (Morrison et al, 2020), the microbial diversity (Busch et al, 2022;Busch, Hanz, et al, 2020), oceanographic conditions and dynamics (Hanz et al, 2021(Hanz et al, , 2022Roberts et al, 2018), as well as an understanding of ecological functioning in the region (Maldonado et al, 2021). These surveys revealed the seamount summit and slope, hosts an array of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs)-most notably the impressive sponge grounds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deep‐sea sponge derived environmental DNA analysis reveals demersal fish biodiversity of a remote Arctic ecosystem

Brodnicke,

Meyer,

Busch

et al. 2023

Environmental DNA

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The deep‐sea is vast, remote, and largely underexplored. However, methodological advances in environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys could aid in the exploration efforts, such as using sponges as natural eDNA filters for studying fish biodiversity. In this study, we analyzed the eDNA from 116 sponge tissue samples and compared these to 18 water eDNA samples and visual surveys obtained on an Arctic seamount. Across survey methods, we revealed approximately 30% of the species presumed to inhabit this area and 11 fish species were detected via sponge derived eDNA alone. These included commercially important fish such as the Greenland halibut and Atlantic mackerel. Fish eDNA detection was highly variable across sponge samples. Highest detection rates were found in sponges with low microbial activity such as those from the class Hexactinellida. The different survey methods also detected alternate fish communities, highlighted by only one species overlap between the visual surveys and the sponge eDNA samples. Therefore, we conclude that sponge eDNA can be a useful tool for surveying deep‐sea demersal fish communities and it synergises with visual surveys improving overall biodiversity assessments. Datasets such as this can form comprehensive baselines on fish biodiversity across seamounts, which in turn can inform marine management and conservation practices in the regions where such surveys are undertaken.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Deep‐sea sponge derived environmental DNA analysis reveals demersal fish biodiversity of a remote Arctic ecosystem

Brodnicke,

Meyer,

Busch

et al. 2023

Environmental DNA

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“…An opening process for mining of seafloor mineral resources on the AMOR was initiated in 2019, and the Norwegian government announced in June 2023 that they aim to open the suggested area for industrial exploration 24 . AMOR has a complex topography and hosts several vulnerable marine ecosystems such as seamounts with dense sponge aggregations 25 , sedimented areas with crinoid fields 26 and hydrothermal vents 1 , 16 . Potential risks posed by seabed mining include habitat alteration or removal, sediment plumes from vehicles or mine tailings, which will extend to areas beyond the mined sites, and other vehicle-related disturbances such as light or noise pollution 27 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity, habitat endemicity and trophic ecology of the fauna of Loki’s Castle vent field on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge

Eilertsen,

Kongsrud,

Tandberg

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Loki’s Castle Vent Field (LCVF, 2300 m) was discovered in 2008 and represents the first black-smoker vent field discovered on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge (AMOR). However, a comprehensive faunal inventory of the LCVF has not yet been published, hindering the inclusion of the Arctic in biogeographic analyses of vent fauna. There is an urgent need to understand the diversity, spatial distribution and ecosystem function of the biological communities along the AMOR, which will inform environmental impact assesments of future deep-sea mining activities in the region. Therefore, our aim with this paper is to provide a comprehensive inventory of the fauna at LCVF and present a first insight into the food web of the vent community. The fauna of LCVF has a high degree of novelty, with five new species previously described and another ten new species awaiting formal description. Most of the new species from LCVF are either hydrothermal vent specialists or have been reported from other chemosynthesis-based ecosystems. The highest taxon richness is found in the diffuse venting areas and may be promoted by the biogenic habitat generated by the foundation species Sclerolinum contortum. The isotopic signatures of the vent community of LCVF show a clear influence of chemosynthetic primary production on the foodweb. Considering the novel and specialised fauna documented in this paper, hydrothermal vents on the AMOR should be regarded as vulnerable marine ecosystems and protective measures must therefore be implemented, especially considering the potential threat from resource exploration and exploitation activities in the near future.

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Habitat heterogeneity over multiple scales supports dense and diverse megafaunal communities on a northeast Pacific ridge

Girard,

Caress,

Paduan

et al. 2024

Limnology & Oceanography

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Marine environments are highly heterogeneous, varying across scales of a few meters to entire ocean basins. Understanding the relationship between environmental variability and species distribution is essential for area‐based management and conservation. However, this requires a precise alignment of seabed mapping with environmental and biological sampling, which is often difficult to achieve in the deep sea. There is thus an urgent need to tackle this challenge to effectively manage high‐diversity habitats such as deep‐sea coral and sponge aggregations. Relying on multiple subsea platforms, seafloor mapping, and imaging techniques, we mapped the distribution of megafaunal communities at Sur Ridge (780–1525‐m depth; off central California) across multiple spatial scales. First, remotely operated vehicle video transects were conducted to characterize community distribution along the ridge in relation to substratum type, environmental conditions, and 1‐m resolution bathymetry. Five distinct communities, located in specific areas of the ridge, were identified. These communities were primarily structured by depth, availability of hard substrata, and terrain complexity (slope and rugosity). Indicator taxa were identified for each community and their distributions were characterized at the centimeter scale from coregistered 5‐mm resolution photomosaic and 5‐cm lateral resolution bathymetry produced during low altitude remotely operated vehicle surveys. High‐resolution mapping allowed the identification of associations between deep‐sea coral and sponge and other benthic taxa and showed that, even at these small scales, different taxa associate with distinct microhabitats. These results highlight the importance of accounting for habitat heterogeneity, and its role in supporting biodiversity when designing management and conservation strategies.

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Beyond the tip of the seamount: Distinct megabenthic communities found beyond the charismatic summit sponge ground on an arctic seamount (Schulz Bank, Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge)

Cited by 10 publications

References 90 publications

Deep‐sea sponge derived environmental DNA analysis reveals demersal fish biodiversity of a remote Arctic ecosystem

Deep‐sea sponge derived environmental DNA analysis reveals demersal fish biodiversity of a remote Arctic ecosystem

Diversity, habitat endemicity and trophic ecology of the fauna of Loki’s Castle vent field on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge

Habitat heterogeneity over multiple scales supports dense and diverse megafaunal communities on a northeast Pacific ridge

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