Diversity and time-series analyses of Caribbean deep-sea coral and sponge assemblages on the tropical island slope of Isla de Roatán, Honduras

Abstract Shore-based submersible operations, from 2006 to 2020, have allowed us to examine megabenthic assemblages along the island margin of Isla de Roatán from depths of about 150 to 750 m, including repeated observations of the same organisms. These dives were used to photo-document a diverse benthic assemblage and observe the health and condition of the sessile fauna in a well-explored but relatively undocumented area of the Mesoamerican Reef. Samples were collected by dip net, and some dives profiled the water column chemistry in the year 2011. The deep-sea coral assemblage observed off Roatan exhibits high abundance and diversity. The sessile habitat-forming taxa consist primarily of at least 20 different octocorals (e.g., Plexauridae, Primnoidae, Coralliidae, Isididae, and Ellisellidae) and 20 different sponges each (Demospongiae and Hexactinellida), with several known and unknown taxa of Zoantharia, Antipatharia (Bathypathes spp), and Scleractinia (e.g., Desmophyllum pertusum, Dendrophyllia alternata, Madracis myriaster, and solitary taxa). Crinoidea were also abundant and diverse, represented by at least nine species. Epifaunal assemblages associated with corals include at least 24 macroinvertebrate species dominated by Asteroschema laeve (Ophiuroidea) and Chirostylus spp. (Decapoda: Anomura). Repeated observations of a few large octocoral colonies over many years illustrate patterns of predation, recolonization, and epibiont host fidelity, including a 14-year record of decline in a plexaurid octocoral (putatively Paramuricea sp.) and loss of its resident ophiuroids. The shore-based submersible provides a practical and relatively inexpensive platform from which to study coral and sponge assemblages on a deep tropical island slope. The deep-sea coral gardens are likely to harbor new species and new discoveries if more samples can be acquired and made available for taxonomic research.

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Relative Abundance and Diversity of Bacterial Methanotrophs at the Oxic–Anoxic Interface of the Congo Deep-Sea Fan

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2017.00715 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Sandrine Bessette ◽

Yann Moalic ◽

Sébastien Gautey ◽

Françoise Lesongeur ◽

Anne Godfroy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relative Abundance ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

Sea Fan

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Biology of Squat Lobsters

10.1071/9780643104341 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

Hydrothermal Vents ◽

Continental Margins ◽

Red Tides ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Current State ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Taxonomic Research ◽

Squat Lobsters ◽

Selection Of

Squat lobsters of the superfamilies Chirostyloidea and Galatheoidea are highly visible crustaceans on seamounts, continental margins, shelf environments, hydrothermal vents and coral reefs. About 1000 species are known. They frequently feature in deep-sea images taken by submersibles and are caught in large numbers by benthic dredges. Some species are so locally abundant that they form ‘red tides’. Others support a variety of important fisheries. The taxonomy of squat lobsters has been intensively studied over the past few decades, making them one of the best known deepwater crustacean groups. As a result, they have attracted the attention of deep-sea ecologists who use them as proxies to test hypotheses about deepwater ecological processes and biogeography. Interest in squat lobsters now extends much more widely than the taxonomic research community and this work is a timely synthesis of what is known about these animals. The Biology of Squat Lobsters provides keys for identification and reviews the current state of knowledge of the taxonomy, evolution, life history, distribution, ecology and fisheries of squat lobsters. A striking feature of squat lobsters is their vivid coloration, which is revealed in a selection of spectacular images of different species. 2012 Whitley Award Commendation for Invertebrate Natural History.

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Census of Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) of the Azores (NE Atlantic) with a nomenclature update

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4550.4.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4550 (4) ◽

pp. 451 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

SAMPAIO ÍRIS ◽

FREIWALD ANDRE ◽

PORTEIRO FILIPE MORA ◽

MENEZES GUI ◽

CARREIRO-SILVA MARINA

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

Cold Water ◽

Habitat Mapping ◽

Zoological Nomenclature ◽

Soft Corals ◽

Ne Atlantic ◽

Cyclic Pattern ◽

Taxonomic Research ◽

Northern Atlantic ◽

Taxonomical Study

Zoological nomenclature revisions are essential for biodiversity studies and indispensable to avoid naming and description of already described species and should be valued in all subsequent studies considering biology, molecular biology, ecology or habitat mapping of deep-sea species. Herein, a thorough revision of the taxonomic literature on Octocorallia since the beginning of deep-sea exploration in the Azores is provided. Since 1870, when the first octocoral, Virgularia mirabilis (Müller, 1776), was recorded in the Azores a cyclic pattern on the taxonomical study of octocorals reveals the deep-sea investigation efforts made on the region at different periods: Prince Albert I of Monaco, Biaçores and recent expeditions. The first decade of this millennium was the peak on taxonomic research of cold-water octocorals in the Azores with 11 publications targeting gorgonians and soft corals (Alcyonacea) and specific sub-orders within it. Ninety-eight names of Octocorallia were found to be given in the economic exclusive zone of the Azores. While 25 names were changed or added to the known Azorean octocoral diversity, 3 species identified in the region and unreported in the reviewed literature, increase the number to 101 species. Twenty-five names were synonymized while three species names were unmasked as errors in need of taxonomical clarification. This is the highest species richness of Octocorallia found in Europe and in any Northern Atlantic archipelago so far, representing ~60% of the most diverse center of endemism of South Africa, with a part in the Eastern Atlantic. Further research on taxonomy may reveal new species to science.

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The Geology and Biogeochemistry of Hydrocarbon Seeps

Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences ◽

10.1146/annurev-earth-063016-020052 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 205-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Samantha B. Joye

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

Extreme Environments ◽

Surface Expression ◽

Oxidation Potential ◽

Sediment Surface ◽

Continental Margins ◽

Anaerobic Oxidation Of Methane ◽

Oxidation Of Methane ◽

Hydrocarbon Seeps ◽

Abundance And Diversity

Hydrocarbon seeps, deep sea extreme environments where deeply sourced fluids discharge at the seabed, occur along continental margins across the globe. Energy-rich reduced substrates, namely hydrocarbons, support accelerated biogeochemical dynamics, creating unique geobiological habitats. Subseafloor geology dictates the surficial expression of seeps, generating hydrocarbon (gas and/or oil) seeps, brine seeps, and mud volcanoes. Biogeochemical processes across the redox spectrum are amplified at hydrocarbon seeps due to the abundance and diversity of reductant; anaerobic metabolism dominates within the sediment column since oxygen is consumed rapidly near the sediment surface. Microbial activity is constrained by electron acceptor availability, with rapid recycling required to support observed rates of hydrocarbon consumption. Geobiologic structures, from gas hydrate to solid asphalt to authigenic minerals, form as a result of hydrocarbon and associated fluid discharge. Animal-microbial associations and symbioses thrive at hydrocarbon seeps, generating diverse and dense deep sea oases that provide nutrition to mobile predators. ▪ Hydrocarbon seeps are abundant deep sea oases that support immense biodiversity and where specialization and adaptation create extraordinary lifestyles. ▪ Subseafloor geology shapes and defines the geochemical nature of fluid seepage and regulates the flux regime, which dictate the surface expression. ▪ High rates of anaerobic oxidation of methane require coupling to multiple processes and promote diversity in the anaerobic methanotroph microbial community. ▪ The recent discovery of novel phyla possessing hydrocarbon oxidation potential signals that aspects of seep biogeochemistry and geobiology remain to be discovered.

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Evolution, dispersal and habitat preference of deep-sea trace fossils

The Paleontological Society Special Publications ◽

10.1017/s2475262200006365 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 76-76

Author(s):

T. Peter Crimes

Keyword(s):

Deep Water ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Trace Fossils ◽

Gradual Improvement ◽

The Past ◽

Sea Sand ◽

Lower Palaeozoic ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

Inner Parts ◽

Behavioral Programming

Cambrian deep-sea sediments have yielded few trace fossils. The first moderately diverse suite is found in an Arenig flysch sequence in Eire. There followed a gradual increase in diversity and abundance of trace fossils in deep-sea niches in the Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic. A major burst of behaviourial evolution appears to have taken place during the Cretaceous and, from then through the Tertiary, high levels of trace fossil abundance and diversity were maintained. This is confirmed by recent work on Miocene deep-sea sequences and from a superbly preserved, diverse, ichnofauna recently discovered in strata of Oligocene and Miocene age in the Makran Range of Iran.In the past, it has been inferred that there was a gradual improvement in behavioral programming in deep-sea traces, with a trend towards economy of effort and perfection. However, Lower Palaeozoic deep water traces show careful, complex, behavioral programming which was to change little through the rest of the Phanerozoic.Within the deep-sea, there are, however, significant variations in the ichnospectrum in different niches. For example, the inner parts of seep-sea sand fans, particularly the channelled areas, have a mixture of “deep” and “shallow” water traces, whereas the outer fan normally has only deep water forms.

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Comparing the Performance of a Remotely Operated Vehicle, a Drop Camera, and a Trawl in Capturing Deep-Sea Epifaunal Abundance and Diversity

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2021.631354 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah N. de Mendonça ◽

Anna Metaxas

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

Nutrient Recycling ◽

Taxonomic Composition ◽

Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

Using Data ◽

Anthropogenic Threats

Deep-sea ecosystems provide services such as food, minerals, and nutrient recycling, yet baseline data on their structure is often lacking. Our limited knowledge of vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems presents a challenge for effective monitoring and mitigation of increasing anthropogenic threats, including destructive fishing and climate change. Using data from two stations differing in total epifaunal abundance and taxonomic composition, we compared the use of imagery collected by two non-invasive tools [remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and drop camera] and data collected with a trawl system, commonly used to quantify epibenthic megafauna in the deep sea. Imagery and trawl data captured different epifaunal patterns, the former being more efficient for capturing epifauna, particularly Pennatulacean recruits. The image-based methods also caused less disturbance, had higher position accuracy, and allow for analyses of spatial structure and species associations; fine-scale distributions could not be elucidated with a trawl. Abundance was greater for some taxa, and diversity accumulated faster with increasing sample size for the drop camera than the ROV at one station. However, there are trade-offs between these tools, including continuous and discrete sampling for the ROV and drop camera, respectively, which can affect follow-up analyses. Our results can be used to inform monitoring frameworks on the use of appropriate sampling tools. We recommend further research into tool sampling biases and biometric relationships to help integrate datasets collected with different tools.

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Relict from the Jurassic: new family of brittle-stars from a New Caledonian seamount

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2021.0684 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 288 (1953) ◽

pp. 20210684

Author(s):

Timothy D. O'Hara ◽

Ben Thuy ◽

Andrew F. Hugall

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Deep Sea ◽

New Caledonia ◽

Benthic Fauna ◽

Late Triassic ◽

Dna Phylogeny ◽

New Family ◽

Ancient Lineage ◽

Taxonomic Research ◽

A New Species

The deep-seafloor in the tropical Indo-Pacific harbours a rich and diverse benthic fauna with numerous palaeoendemics. Here, we describe a new species, genus and family of brittle-star (Ophiuroidea) from a single eight-armed specimen collected from a depth between 360 and 560 m on Banc Durand, a seamount east of New Caledonia. Leveraging a robust, fossil-calibrated (265 kbp DNA) phylogeny for the Ophiuroidea, we estimate the new lineage diverged from other ophiacanthid families in the Late Triassic or Jurassic (median = 187–178 Myr, 95% CI = 215–143 Myr), a period of elevated diversification for this group. We further report very similar microfossil remains from Early Jurassic (180 Myr) sediments of Normandy, France. The discovery of a new ancient lineage in the relatively well-known Ophiuroidea indicates the importance of ongoing taxonomic research in the deep-sea, an environment increasingly threatened by human activities.

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Taxonomic research on deep-sea macrofauna in the South China Sea using the Chinese deep-sea submersibleJiaolong

Integrative Zoology ◽

10.1111/1749-4877.12254 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 270-282 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Xinzheng LI

Keyword(s):

South China Sea ◽

South China ◽

Deep Sea ◽

The South China Sea ◽

The South ◽

China Sea ◽

Taxonomic Research

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Effects of High Hydrostatic Pressure on Coastal Bacterial Community Abundance and Diversity

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.02109-14 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 80 (19) ◽

pp. 5992-6003 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Angeliki Marietou ◽

Douglas H. Bartlett

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Hydrostatic Pressure ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Bacterial Populations ◽

Content Type ◽

Microbial Life ◽

Community Changes ◽

Abundance And Diversity

ABSTRACTHydrostatic pressure is an important parameter influencing the distribution of microbial life in the ocean. In this study, the response of marine bacterial populations from surface waters to pressures representative of those under deep-sea conditions was examined. Southern California coastal seawater collected 5 m below the sea surface was incubated in microcosms, using a range of temperatures (16 to 3°C) and hydrostatic pressure conditions (0.1 to 80 MPa). Cell abundance decreased in response to pressure, while diversity increased. The morphology of the community also changed with pressurization to a predominant morphotype of small cocci. The pressure-induced community changes included an increase in the relative abundance ofAlphaproteobacteria,Gammaproteobacteria,Actinobacteria, andFlavobacterialargely at the expense ofEpsilonproteobacteria. Culturable high-pressure-surviving bacteria were obtained and found to be phylogenetically similar to isolates from cold and/or deep-sea environments. These results provide novel insights into the response of surface water bacteria to changes in hydrostatic pressure.

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