Coral communities of the deep Gulf of Mexico

Cordes, Erik E.; McGinley, Michael P.; Podowski, Elizabeth L.; Becker, Erin L.; Lessard-Pilon, Stephanie; Viada, Stephen T.; Fisher, Charles R.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2008.03.005

Cited by 155 publications

(125 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Reveillaud et al, 2008) and in the Mediterranean Sea (Zibrowius, 1980;Taviani et al, 2005). Besides the NE Atlantic, corals and coral build-ups have also been reported along the west African margin (Le Guilloux et al, 2009;Colman et al, 2005), in the northwest Atlantic (Messing et al, 2008), Blake Plateau (Reed, 1992), near the Bahamas (Messing et al, 1990;Neumann et al, 1977;Paull et al, 2000), in the Gulf of Mexico (Cordes et al, 2008;Davies et al, 2010), Canada (Wareham et al, 2007), Alaska (Stone, 2006) and from a few scattered records in the Pacific (Squires, 1965;Etnoyer and Morgan, 2005) and Indian Ocean (Rogers, 1999).…”

Section: Cold-water Corals: Reefs In the Absence Of Sunlightmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

et al. 2010

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Abstract. The deep sea, the largest biome on Earth, has a series of characteristics that make this environment both distinct from other marine and land ecosystems and unique for the entire planet. This review describes these patterns and processes, from geological settings to biological processes, biodiversity and biogeographical patterns. It concludes with a brief discussion of current threats from anthropogenic activities to deep-sea habitats and their fauna.Investigations of deep-sea habitats and their fauna began in the late 19th century. In the intervening years, technological developments and stimulating discoveries have promoted deep-sea research and changed our way of understanding life on the planet. Nevertheless, the deep sea is still mostly unknown and current discovery rates of both habitats and species remain high. The geological, physical and Correspondence to: E. Ramirez-Llodra (ezr@icm.csic.es) geochemical settings of the deep-sea floor and the water column form a series of different habitats with unique characteristics that support specific faunal communities. Since 1840, 28 new habitats/ecosystems have been discovered from the shelf break to the deep trenches and discoveries of new habitats are still happening in the early 21st century. However, for most of these habitats the global area covered is unknown or has been only very roughly estimated; an even smaller -indeed, minimal -proportion has actually been sampled and investigated. We currently perceive most of the deep-sea ecosystems as heterotrophic, depending ultimately on the flux on organic matter produced in the overlying surface ocean through photosynthesis. The resulting strong food limitation thus shapes deep-sea biota and communities, with exceptions only in reducing ecosystems such as inter alia hydrothermal vents or cold seeps. Here, chemoautolithotrophic bacteria play the role of primary producers fuelled by chemical energy sources rather than sunlight. Other ecosystems, such as seamounts, canyons or cold-water corals have an Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 2852 E. Ramirez-Llodra et al.: Unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem increased productivity through specific physical processes, such as topographic modification of currents and enhanced transport of particles and detrital matter. Because of its unique abiotic attributes, the deep sea hosts a specialized fauna. Although there are no phyla unique to deep waters, at lower taxonomic levels the composition of the fauna is distinct from that found in the upper ocean. Amongst other characteristic patterns, deep-sea species may exhibit either gigantism or dwarfism, related to the decrease in food availability with depth. Food limitation on the seafloor and water column is also reflected in the trophic structure of heterotrophic deep-sea communities, which are adapted to low energy availability. In most of these heterotrophic habitats, the dominant megafauna is composed of detritivores, while filter feeders are abundant in...

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Section: Cold-water Corals: Reefs In the Absence Of Sunlightmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

et al. 2010

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“…Further west in the Gulf of Mexico, L. pertusa appears to be more scattered, forming isolated mound-like structures along the west Florida slope (Newton et al, 1987;Hübscher et al, 2010) and in the northern Gulf of Mexico (Moore and Bullis, 1960;Schroeder, 2002;Reed et al, 2006;Cordes et al, 2008;Becker et al, 2009;Davies et al, 2010). Summarizing the current knowledge, Mienis et al (2012) conclude that within the Gulf of Mexico CWC mound structures have been rarely found, except on the west Florida slope and in the Viosca Knoll area (Fig.…”

Section: Hebbeln Et Al: Environmental Forcing Of the Campeche Colmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental forcing of the Campeche cold-water coral province, southern Gulf of Mexico

et al. 2014

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Abstract.With an extension of > 40 km 2 the recently discovered Campeche cold-water coral province located at the northeastern rim of the Campeche Bank in the southern Gulf of Mexico belongs to the largest coherent cold-water coral areas discovered so far. The Campeche province consists of numerous 20-40 m-high elongated coral mounds that are developed in intermediate water depths of 500 to 600 m. The mounds are colonized by a vivid cold-water coral ecosystem that covers the upper flanks and summits. The rich coral community is dominated by the framework-building Scleractinia Enallopsammia profunda and Lophelia pertusa, while the associated benthic megafauna shows a rather scarce occurrence. The recent environmental setting is characterized by a high surface water production caused by a local upwelling center and a dynamic bottom-water regime comprising vigorous bottom currents, obvious temporal variability, and strong density contrasts, which all together provide optimal conditions for the growth of cold-water corals. This setting -potentially supported by the diel vertical migration of zooplankton in the Campeche area -controls the delivering of food particles to the corals. The Campeche cold-water coral province is, thus, an excellent example highlighting the importance of the oceanographic setting in securing the food supply for the development of large and vivid cold-water coral ecosystems.

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“…Recent studies on the ecology of cold-water coral reefs show that the latter sustain highly diverse communities of associated macro-and megafauna (Jensen and Frederiksen 1992;Rogers 1999;Roberts et al 2006Roberts et al , 2008Henry and Roberts 2007;Cordes et al 2008). Vanreusel (2005, 2006) focused on the associated meio-and nematofauna of Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus, 1758) reef degradation zones in the Belgica Mound Province (Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic), and demonstrated that the presence of coral degradation products greatly influences the meiobenthic community.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of Novocriniidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from cold-water corals in the Porcupine Seabight (NE Atlantic), with description of a new species of Atergopedia Martínez Arbizu & Moura, 1998

Gheerardyn

Arbizu

Vanreusel

2009

Organisms Diversity & Evolution

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Coral communities of the deep Gulf of Mexico

Cited by 155 publications

References 38 publications

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

Environmental forcing of the Campeche cold-water coral province, southern Gulf of Mexico

Discovery of Novocriniidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from cold-water corals in the Porcupine Seabight (NE Atlantic), with description of a new species of Atergopedia Martínez Arbizu & Moura, 1998

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