DOAJ Open Access 2023

Heterogeneity on the abyssal plains: A case study in the Bering Sea

Julia D. Sigwart Angelika Brandt Angelika Brandt Davide Di Franco Elva Escobar Briones +26 lainnya

Abstrak

The abyssal plains are vast areas without large scale relief that occupy much of the ocean floor. Although long considered relatively featureless, they are now known to display substantial biological heterogeneity across different spatial scales. Ecological research in these regions benefits increasingly from non-destructive visual sampling of epifaunal organisms with imaging technology. We analysed images from ultra-high-definition towed camera transects at depths of around 3500 m across three stations (100–130 km apart) in the Bering Sea, to ask whether the density and distribution of visible epifauna indicated any substantial heterogeneity. We identified 71 different megafaunal taxa, of which 24 occurred at only one station. Measurements of the two most abundant faunal elements, the holothurian Elpidia minutissima and two xenophyophores morphotypes (the more common identifiable as Syringammina limosa), indicated significant differences in local densities and patchy aggregations that were strikingly dissimilar among stations. One station was dominated by xenophyophores, one was relatively depauperate in both target taxa as well as other identified megafauna, and the third station was dominated by Elpidia. This is an unexpected level of variation within comparable transects in a well-mixed oceanic basin, reinforcing the emerging view that abyssal habitats encompass biological heterogeneity at similar spatial scales to terrestrial continental realms.

Topik & Kata Kunci

Science General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution

Penulis (31)

Julia D. Sigwart

Angelika Brandt

Davide Di Franco

Elva Escobar Briones

Sarah Gerken

Andrew J. Gooday

Candace J. Grimes

Kamila Głuchowska

Sven Hoffmann

Anna Maria Jażdżewska

Elham Kamyab

Andreas Kelch

Henry Knauber

Katharina Kohlenbach

Olmo Miguez-Salas

Camille Moreau

Akito Ogawa

Angelo Poliseno

Andreu Santín Muriel

Anne Helene S. Tandberg

Franziska I. Theising

Thomas Walter

Anne-Cathrin Wölfl

Chong Chen

Format Sitasi

APA MLA BibTeX

Sigwart, J.D., Brandt, A., Brandt, A., Franco, D.D., Briones, E.E., Gerken, S. et al. (2023). Heterogeneity on the abyssal plains: A case study in the Bering Sea. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.1037482

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Informasi Jurnal

Tahun Terbit: 2023
Sumber Database: DOAJ
DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2022.1037482
Akses: Open Access ✓