Dataset Information

Environmental variability and biodiversity of megabenthos on the Hebrides Terrace Seamount (Northeast Atlantic).

ABSTRACT: We present the first remotely operated vehicle investigation of megabenthic communities (1004-1695?m water depth) on the Hebrides Terrace Seamount (Northeast Atlantic). Conductivity-temperature-depth casts showed rapid light attenuation below the summit and an oceanographic regime on the flanks consistent with an internal tide, and high short-term variability in water temperature, salinity, light attenuation, aragonite and oxygen down to 1500?m deep. Minor changes in species composition (3-14%) were explained by changes in depth, substratum and oceanographic stability, whereas environmental variability explained substantially more variation in species richness (40-56%). Two peaks in species richness occurred, the first at 1300-1400?m where cooler Wyville Thomson Overflow Water (WTOW) mixes with subtropical gyre waters and the second at 1500-1600?m where WTOW mixes with subpolar mode waters. Our results suggest that internal tides, substrate heterogeneity and oceanographic interfaces may enhance biological diversity on this and adjacent seamounts in the Rockall Trough.

SUBMITTER: Henry LA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4083264 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Environmental variability and biodiversity of megabenthos on the Hebrides Terrace Seamount (Northeast Atlantic).

Henry Lea-Anne LA Vad Johanne J Findlay Helen S HS Murillo Javier J Milligan Rosanna R Roberts J Murray JM

Scientific reports 20140707

We present the first remotely operated vehicle investigation of megabenthic communities (1004-1695 m water depth) on the Hebrides Terrace Seamount (Northeast Atlantic). Conductivity-temperature-depth casts showed rapid light attenuation below the summit and an oceanographic regime on the flanks consistent with an internal tide, and high short-term variability in water temperature, salinity, light attenuation, aragonite and oxygen down to 1500 m deep. Minor changes in species composition (3-14%) ...[more]

PMID: 24998523

Similar Datasets

Project description:Kelp species are ecologically-important habitat-formers in coastal marine ecosystems, where they alter environmental conditions and promote local biodiversity by providing complex biogenic habitat for an array of associated organisms. While it is widely accepted that kelps harbour significant biodiversity, our current understanding of spatiotemporal variability in kelp-associated assemblages and the key environmental drivers of variability patterns remains limited. Here we examined the influence of ocean temperature and wave exposure on the structure of faunal assemblages associated with the holdfasts of Laminaria hyperborea, the dominant habitat-forming kelp in the northeast Atlantic. We sampled holdfasts from 12 kelp-dominated open-coast sites nested within four regions across the UK, spanning ~9° in latitude and ~2.7° C in mean sea surface temperature. Overall, holdfast assemblages were highly diverse, with 261 taxa representing 11 phyla recorded across the study. We examined patterns of spatial variability for sessile and mobile taxa separately, and documented high variability between regions, between sites within regions, and between replicate holdfasts for both assemblage types. Mobile assemblage structure was more strongly linked to temperature variability than sessile assemblage structure, which was principally structured by site-level variability in factors such as wave exposure. Patterns in the structure of both biogenic habitat and associated assemblages did not vary predictably along a latitudinal gradient in temperature, indicating that other processes acting across multiple spatial and temporal scales are important drivers of assemblage structure. Overall, kelp holdfasts in the UK supported high levels of diversity, that were similar to other kelp-dominated systems globally and comparable to those recorded for other vegetated marine habitats (i.e. seagrass beds), which are perhaps more widely recognised for their high biodiversity value.

Dataset Information

Environmental variability and biodiversity of megabenthos on the Hebrides Terrace Seamount (Northeast Atlantic).

Publications

Environmental variability and biodiversity of megabenthos on the Hebrides Terrace Seamount (Northeast Atlantic).

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets