Testing Bathymetric and Regional Patterns in the Southwest Atlantic Deep Sea Using Infaunal Diversity, Structure, and Function
| Autor: | André Morgado Esteves, Patricia Fernandes Neres, Yirina Valdes, Venina Pires Ribeiro-Ferreira, Giovanni dos Santos, Alexsandra C. Silva, Jeroen Ingels |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Nematoda Meiobenthos Structural basin 01 natural sciences Deep sea diversity ecosystem function continental slope Bathymetry Atlantic Ocean lcsh:QH301-705.5 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Nature and Landscape Conservation geography geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Ecological Modeling Community structure Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) bathymetric gradient Oceanography lcsh:Biology (General) deep sea Upwelling Oceanic basin Hydrography Brazil |
| Zdroj: | Diversity, Vol 12, Iss 485, p 485 (2020) Diversity Volume 12 Issue 12 |
| ISSN: | 1424-2818 |
| Popis: | A better understanding of deep-sea biology requires knowledge of the structure and function of their communities, the spatial, temporal, and environmental patterns, and the changes and dynamics that govern them. Some of the most studied patterns in deep-sea biology are those related to bathymetrical gradients. For meiofauna and nematodes, such studies have highlighted the importance of recognizing regional differences in using ecological mechanisms to explain those patterns. Despite holding significant fisheries and oil and gas resources, the eastern Brazilian Continental Margin is poorly understood with respect to its seafloor biology and ecology. To answer ecological questions of deep-sea infaunal structural and functional diversity in relation to bathymetrical patterns, we used nematode data from five bathymetric transects (400, 1000, 1900, 2500, and 3000 m water depth) sampled in 2011 and 2013 on the Espí rito Santo slope off the coast of southeast (SE) Brazil. Deep nematode community analysis based on 6763 nematode identifications showed very high levels of diversity (201 genera 43 families) compared to other ocean basins and deep-sea regions. Our analyses showed that there is a distinct bathymetric break in standing stocks and community structure between 1000 and 1900 m. Nematode standing stocks were much higher at 400 and 1000 m compared to those for similar depths worldwide, likely linked to the intense and frequent upwelling and specific hydrographic and topographic identity of the region. The bathymetric break was not present for structural and functional nematode diversity. Instead, bathymetric regressions showed that they increased gradually toward 3000 m water depth. The deep Espí rito Santo basin is characterized by rich and equitable nematode communities that are both mature and trophically diverse. General deep-sea ecological theories apply to our findings, but there are also substantial regional effects related to the local margin topography, upwelling, and oceanographic and hydrodynamic processes that make the Espí rito Santo Basin a unique and diverse deep-sea ecosystem. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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