Structural factors driving benthic invertebrate community structure on historical shipwrecks in a large North Atlantic marine sanctuary

Meyer-Kaiser, Kirstin S.; Mires, Calvin; Kovacs, Maryann; Kovacs, Evan; Haskell, B

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113622

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, although the community composition is different, species richness and diversity can be higher on structurally complex shipwrecks than on natural reefs (Meyer-Kaiser et al. 2022b ). This has both positive and negative effects: Shipwrecks can lead to a net increase in regional biodiversity, but they can also harbor invasive species or facilitate range expansions (Paxton et al.…”

Section: Fundamental Ecological Functions and Processes Manifest On S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Shipwreck ecology: Understanding the function and processes from microbes to megafauna

Paxton,

McGonigle,

Damour

et al. 2023

BioScience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An estimated three million shipwrecks exist worldwide and are recognized as cultural resources and foci of archaeological investigations. Shipwrecks also support ecological resources by providing underwater habitats that can be colonized by diverse organisms ranging from microbes to megafauna. In the present article, we review the emerging ecological subdiscipline of shipwreck ecology, which aims to understand ecological functions and processes that occur on shipwrecks. We synthesize how shipwrecks create habitat for biota across multiple trophic levels and then describe how fundamental ecological functions and processes, including succession, zonation, connectivity, energy flow, disturbance, and habitat degradation, manifest on shipwrecks. We highlight future directions in shipwreck ecology that are ripe for exploration, placing a particular emphasis on how shipwrecks may serve as experimental networks to address long-standing ecological questions.

show abstract

Section: Fundamental Ecological Functions and Processes Manifest On S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Shipwreck ecology: Understanding the function and processes from microbes to megafauna

Paxton,

McGonigle,

Damour

et al. 2023

BioScience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Shipwrecks offer refugia to commercially-valuable (Lengkeek et al, 2013;Schrieken et al, 2013) and rare species (Renzi et al, 2017), and seem particularly important for sessile filter-feeding species (Hiscock, 1981;Meyer-Kaiser, Mires, Kovacs, et al, 2022;Mondal & Raghunathan, 2017), the most vulnerable to trawling (de Juan & Demestre, 2012). Shipwrecks with steel components support large sessile communities (Mondal & Raghunathan, 2017Meyer-Kaiser, Mires, Kovacs, et al, 2022), with hard surface and elevation from the benthos offering access to stronger currents and increased feeding opportunities (Meyer- . Microbiome richness is increased on shipwrecks (Hamdan et al, 2021) and a 'halo' of microbial taxa around shipwrecks supports the idea that they influence the surrounding environment, acting as island-like stepping-stones within remote environments (Hamdan et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As with other anthropogenic structures in the marine environment, pollutants are a potential consequence of shipwrecks (Renzi et al., 2017). Materials such as copper act as antifoulants >100 years after sinking (Meyer‐Kaiser, Mires, Kovacs, et al., 2022) and in fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs, shipwrecks can trigger an ecological phase shift (Work et al., 2008). However, in other environments, the biodiversity benefits appear to outweigh any negative impacts (Renzi et al., 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many questions remain unanswered regarding the structural components impacting shipwreck communities. While depth (Meyer‐Kaiser, Mires, & Haskell, 2022; Walker et al., 2007), vertical surface profile (Mondal & Raghunathan, 2017; Walker et al., 2007) and elevation from seafloor (Meyer‐Kaiser, Mires, Kovacs, et al., 2022) affect community composition, the well‐known ‘species‐area’ relationship is not always observed, with larger and older shipwrecks supporting similar species richness to smaller or more recently‐lost shipwrecks (Meyer‐Kaiser, Mires, & Haskell, 2022). This is perhaps partly explained by a study of succession on the HMS Scylla in Cornwall, sunk deliberately as an artificial reef, which found the existence of a ‘steel‐wreck community’, a community composition unique from those on naturally‐occurring substratum within similar environments (Hiscock et al., 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Shipwrecks offer refugia to commercially‐valuable (Lengkeek et al., 2013; Schrieken et al., 2013) and rare species (Renzi et al., 2017), and seem particularly important for sessile filter‐feeding species (Hiscock, 1981; Meyer‐Kaiser, Mires, & Haskell, 2022; Meyer‐Kaiser, Mires, Kovacs, et al., 2022; Mondal & Raghunathan, 2017), the most vulnerable to trawling (de Juan & Demestre, 2012). Shipwrecks with steel components support large sessile communities (Mondal & Raghunathan, 2017, Meyer‐Kaiser, Mires, & Haskell, 2022; Meyer‐Kaiser, Mires, Kovacs, et al., 2022), with hard surface and elevation from the benthos offering access to stronger currents and increased feeding opportunities (Meyer‐Kaiser, Mires, & Haskell, 2022). Microbiome richness is increased on shipwrecks (Hamdan et al., 2021) and a ‘halo’ of microbial taxa around shipwrecks supports the idea that they influence the surrounding environment, acting as island‐like stepping‐stones within remote environments (Hamdan et al., 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Shipwrecks act as de facto Marine Protected Areas in areas of heavy fishing pressure

Hickman,

Richards,

Rees

et al. 2023

Marine Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ubiquitous, industrial use of bottom‐towed fishing gear since the 1800s has altered marine communities and ecosystem services. Outside of legal protection, only areas inaccessible to trawlers are offered any protection. Shipwrecks present hazards to fishing gear and are rarely subject to trawling pressure. As many have been in situ for >100 years, they offer a baseline of ecological potential when trawling pressure is reduced or removed. Five shipwrecks were surveyed off the Berwickshire coast, some within the Static Gear Reserve and others outside. Video transects were collected of shipwrecks, the surrounding 50 m radius and control locations >150 m from the wreck site. Species identified were assigned a category based on their vulnerability to trawling. The effect of distance from a shipwreck on ecological communities within sites Open and Closed to trawling was investigated. The ecological importance of shipwrecks increased relative to trawling pressure. In Open sites, abundance was 340% greater on Wreck locations than Control. Conversely, within Closed sites, abundance was 149% greater in Control locations than Wreck. In Open sites, shipwreck communities are more similar to those in Closed sites, than to the habitat surrounding the shipwreck. Vulnerable species, mostly large, sessile filter feeders, are almost entirely absent from Open sites, but account for ~28% of the total abundance on shipwrecks in Closed sites. This study offers a quantifiable method to evaluate the ecological contribution of shipwrecks in disturbed areas and suggests their role may warrant further research, and consideration in conservation policy, such as inclusion in 30 × 30 objectives. Our findings also demonstrate the possible ecological gains of expanding or including static gear reserves across Marine Protected Areas.

show abstract

Conclusion

Browne¹,

Raff²

2022

International Law of Underwater Cultural Heritage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Structural factors driving benthic invertebrate community structure on historical shipwrecks in a large North Atlantic marine sanctuary

Cited by 9 publications

References 42 publications

Shipwreck ecology: Understanding the function and processes from microbes to megafauna

Shipwreck ecology: Understanding the function and processes from microbes to megafauna

Shipwrecks act as de facto Marine Protected Areas in areas of heavy fishing pressure

Conclusion

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About