Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Soetaert K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5057138 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Soetaert Karline K Mohn Christian C Rengstorf Anna A Grehan Anthony A van Oevelen Dick D
Scientific reports 20161011
Cold-water corals (CWCs) form large mounds on the seafloor that are hotspots of biodiversity in the deep sea, but it remains enigmatic how CWCs can thrive in this food-limited environment. Here, we infer from model simulations that the interaction between tidal currents and CWC-formed mounds induces downwelling events of surface water that brings organic matter to 600-m deep CWCs. This positive feedback between CWC growth on carbonate mounds and enhanced food supply is essential for their susten ...[more]