Live (stained) benthic foraminifera in the Whittard Canyon, Celtic margin (NE Atlantic)

Duros, Pauline; Fontanier, Christophe; Metzger, Édouard; Pusceddu, Antonio; Cesbron, Florian; Stigter, Henko de; Bianchelli, Silvia; Danovaro, Roberto; Jorissen, Frans

doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.008

Cited by 81 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Species of Technitella are also recorded from submarine canyons off New Jersey (Swallow and Culver 1999). On the other hand, pioneer assemblages of foraminiferans typical of sediments deposited by recent turbidites are not reported from the Whittard Canyon (Duros et al 2011(Duros et al , 2012), which appears to be less active than the Cap Breton and Nazare canyons (Amaro et al 2016).…”

Section: Foraminiferamentioning

confidence: 96%

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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Section: Foraminiferamentioning

confidence: 96%

Characteristics of meiofauna in extreme marine ecosystems: a review

et al. 2017

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“…Gregory et al, 2010), which may result in ∼ 20 % of benthic bacterial mortality (Glud and Middelboe, 2004). Given the importance of bacteria within benthic C budgets (Witte et al, 2003a, b;Gontikaki et al, 2011a), and high viral densities in deep-sea sediments (Danovaro et al, 2008), it is reasonable to speculate that viral lysis may contribute to the observed decrease in bacterial biomass. Therefore, the present results may highlight both faunal-bacterial and bacterial-viral interactions as understudied pathways within deep-sea C and N cycles.…”

Section: Bacterial Responses and Faunal-bacterial Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Stations were located on sedimentary terraces, between 60 and 100 m above the central axis of the eastern and western canyon branches. Sediments in both the eastern and western branches were primarily composed of silt at depths > 3000 m (Otto and Balzer 1998;Duros et al, 2011). Stations were visited in June and July 2009 as part of RRS James Cook cruise JC036, and followed the spring phytoplankton bloom in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean (e.g.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Sediment community responses to marine vs. terrigenous organic matter in a submarine canyon

et al. 2013

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Abstract. The Whittard Canyon is a branching submarine canyon on the Celtic continental margin, which may act as a conduit for sediment and organic matter (OM) transport from the European continental slope to the abyssal sea floor. In situ stable-isotope labelling experiments were conducted in the eastern and western branches of the Whittard Canyon, testing short-term (3-7 days) responses of sediment communities to deposition of nitrogen-rich marine (Thalassiosira weissflogii) and nitrogen-poor terrigenous (Triticum aestivum) phytodetritus. 13 C and 15 N labels were traced into faunal biomass and bulk sediments, and the 13 C label traced into bacterial polar lipid fatty acids (PLFAs). Isotopic labels penetrated to 5 cm sediment depth, with no differences between stations or experimental treatments (substrate or time). Macrofaunal assemblage structure differed between the eastern and western canyon branches. Following deposition of marine phytodetritus, no changes in macrofaunal feeding activity were observed between the eastern and western branches, with little change between 3 and 7 days. Macrofaunal C and N uptake was substantially lower following deposition of terrigenous phytodetritus with feeding activity governed by a strong N demand. Bacterial C uptake was greatest in the western branch of the Whittard Canyon, but feeding activity decreased between 3 and 7 days. Bacterial processing of marine and terrigenous OM were similar to the macrofauna in surficial (0-1 cm) sediments. However, in deeper sediments bacteria utilised greater proportions of terrigenous OM. Bacterial biomass decreased following phytodetritus deposition and was negatively correlated to macrofaunal feeding activity. Consequently, this study suggests that macrofaunal-bacterial interactions influence benthic C cycling in the Whittard Canyon, resulting in differential fates for marine and terrigenous OM.

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“…8), the net transport of resuspended material appears to be in up-rather than in down-canyon direction. Up-canyon transport of phytodetritus, as well as proximity to shelf surface production, may well contribute to the high phytopigment concentrations reported by Duros et al (2011) …”

Section: C) Recent Sediment Gravity Transportmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the information on foraminifera in the Whittard Canyon and adjacent areas derives from the study of Duros et al (2011), who analysed sediment samples obtained from 18 stations for benthic foraminifera (>150 µm fraction). (Fig.1, Table 1).…”

Section: Faunal Assemblages A) Foraminiferamentioning

confidence: 99%