Diversity of Abyssal Marine Life

Ebbe, Brigitte; Billett, David; Brandt, Angelika; Ellingsen, K.; Glover, Adrian G.; Keller, Stefanie; Malyutina, Marina V.; Arbizu, Pedro Martínez; Molodtsova, Tina N.; Rex, Michael A.; Smith, Craig R.

doi:10.1002/9781444325508.ch8

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…This is not surprising; deep-sea biology is a fairly young discipline. Only a decade ago a typical survey of the abyssal plains and basins (54% of Earth's surface) would typically find that 90% of the infaunal species collected were new to science (Ebbe et al, 2010). This staggering figure has changed little for groups like nematodes, isopods, and copepods (Seifried, 2004;Ebbe et al, 2010), some of the most abundant components of deep-sea benthic diversity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biases in biodiversity: wide-ranging species are discovered first in the deep sea

Higgs

Attrill

2015

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Calculating global estimates for total species richness is fraught by the uncertainty in estimating the number of species left to be discovered. The deep-sea is widely regarded as one of the largest sources of uncertainty in these calculations, since so much of this realm has not yet been explored. Most estimates of species left to be discovered are reliant on previous rates of species description, yet these rates are likely to be biased. One well-known bias from terrestrial studies is that wide-ranging species tend to be described earlier. To test this hypothesis for the deep sea, spatial data from the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) were combined with taxonomic data from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) to carry out a meta-analysis on all species records found below 300 m. Results show a historical bias in species descriptions, with wide-ranging species over-represented in our current catalogs of deep-sea species richness. This suggests that current estimates of deep-sea species richness underestimate the true proportion of narrow-ranged species and hence total species in the deep oceans.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biases in biodiversity: wide-ranging species are discovered first in the deep sea

Higgs

Attrill

2015

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…The regions of ocean crust where slopes and ridge flanks flatten out represent perhaps the single largest contiguous feature of our planet and also the least explored: the extensive abyssal plains (Smith et al, 2008;Ebbe et al, 2010). Abyssal sediments consist of terrigenous particles derived from rock weathering on land as well as biological particles produced in the surface layers by plancktonic organisms.…”

Section: The Great Expanse: Abyssal Plainsmentioning

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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“…The Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone (CCZ) in the equatorial North Pacific is a focal area for mining interests, and mining operations are expected to be initiated in the CCZ by 2025 [10]. The CCZ is estimated to contain 340 million tonnes of nickel and 265 million tonnes of copper [8]. Mining of abyssal manganese nodules will affect large areas of the seafloor owing to direct mining disturbance (estimated scales of 300-600 km 2 per year) and re-deposition from sediment plumes (over scales of 10-100 km from the mining site; see [11][12][13][14]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The seabed is characterized by a number of unique habitats and ecosystem types, including abyssal plains, seamounts, hydrothermal vents and cold seeps [1,5,6]. In addition, commercially valuable mineral resources, including nickel-and copper-rich manganese nodules and cobalt-rich crusts, are also present in these environments [7,8]. Recent advances in technological capabilities have led to competing spatial demands between conservation of the unique deep-sea ecosystems and economic mining interests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From principles to practice: a spatial approach to systematic conservation planning in the deep sea

Wedding¹,

Friedlander²,

et al. 2013

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Increases in the demand and price for industrial metals, combined with advances in technological capabilities have now made deep-sea mining more feasible and economically viable. In order to balance economic interests with the conservation of abyssal plain ecosystems, it is becoming increasingly important to develop a systematic approach to spatial management and zoning of the deep sea. Here, we describe an expert-driven systematic conservation planning process applied to inform science-based recommendations to the International Seabed Authority for a system of deep-sea marine protected areas (MPAs) to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem function in an abyssal Pacific region targeted for nodule mining (e.g. the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone, CCZ). Our use of geospatial analysis and expert opinion in forming the recommendations allowed us to stratify the proposed network by biophysical gradients, maximize the number of biologically unique seamounts within each subregion, and minimize socioeconomic impacts. The resulting proposal for an MPA network (nine replicate 400 Â 400 km MPAs) covers 24% (1 440 000 km 2 ) of the total CCZ planning region and serves as example of swift and pre-emptive conservation planning across an unprecedented area in the deep sea. As pressure from resource extraction increases in the future, the scientific guiding principles outlined in this research can serve as a basis for collaborative international approaches to ocean management.

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Diversity of Abyssal Marine Life

Cited by 26 publications

References 93 publications

Biases in biodiversity: wide-ranging species are discovered first in the deep sea

Biases in biodiversity: wide-ranging species are discovered first in the deep sea

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

From principles to practice: a spatial approach to systematic conservation planning in the deep sea

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