Adult life strategy affects distribution patterns in abyssal isopods – implications for conservation in Pacific nodule areas

Abstract. Aim of our study is to gain a better knowledge about the isopod crustacean fauna of the abyssal Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ) located in the central Pacific Ocean. In total, we examined 22 EBS samples taken at 6 abyssal areas in the central pacific manganese nodule area (CCZ and DISCOL). The dataset comprised 619 specimens belonging to 187 species of four different isopod families: 91 species (48.6 % of total) belonging to Munnopsidae, 63 (33.6 %) to Desmosomatidae, 24 (12.8 %) to Haploniscidae and 9 (4.8 %) to Macrostylidae. The total number of species found was relatively similar between sites ranging from 38 (German Contractor area) to 50 species (French contractor area). 68 species were represented by singeletons. The ranges of distribution differ between families. In total 77 % of the species were recorded in a single area (and thus being unique for this specific area), 13.9 % in 2 areas, 5.3 % in 3 areas, 2.6 % in 4 areas and 1 % in 5 areas. The proportion of species present in a single area increased in this sequence: Munnopsidae (75.8 %), Desmosomatidae (77.7 %) and Haploniscidae (83 %). A total of 6 (66.6 %) out of 9 species of Macrostylidae was recorded in a single area contrasted by the most common species being from this family, Macrostylidae_Macrostylis_M05 with 46 specimens (present in all areas besides DISCOL) followed by several species of Munnopsidae with 10 or more specimens in the dataset. The CCZ areas show the highest number of shared species. Generally, the high diversity in each area is reflected by a low similarity between sampling areas. The rarefraction curves indicate that species richness is similar between areas, but the real number of species is still not sampled. The most distant areas from the central CCZ, the APEI3 and DISCOL, are the most different.

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Adult life strategy affects distribution patterns in abyssal isopods – implications for conservation in Pacific nodule areas

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-17-6163-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (23) ◽

pp. 6163-6184

Author(s):

Saskia Brix ◽

Karen J. Osborn ◽

Stefanie Kaiser ◽

Sarit B. Truskey ◽

Sarah M. Schnurr ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Adult Life ◽

Manganese Nodule ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Species Range ◽

Integrative Approach ◽

Life Strategy ◽

Central Pacific ◽

Species Ranges ◽

Sea Bed

Abstract. With increasing pressure to extract minerals from the deep-sea bed, understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that limit the spatial distribution of species is critical to assessing ecosystem resilience to mining impacts. The aim of our study is to gain a better knowledge about the abyssal isopod crustacean fauna of the central Pacific manganese nodule province (Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone, CCZ). In total, we examined 22 epibenthic sledge (EBS) samples taken at five abyssal areas located in the central northern Pacific including four contracting areas and one Area of Particular Environmental Interest (APEI3). Additional samples come from the DISturbance and reCOLonization experiment (DISCOL) area situated in the Peru Basin, southeastern Pacific. Using an integrative approach that combined morphological and genetic methods with species delimitation analyses (SDs) we assessed patterns of species range size, diversity, and community composition for four different isopod families (Munnopsidae Lilljeborg, 1864; Desmosomatidae Sars, 1897; Haploniscidae Hansen, 1916; and Macrostylidae Hansen, 1916) displaying different dispersal capacities as adults. Isopods are brooders, so their distribution and connectivity cannot be explained by larval dispersal but rather by adult locomotion. In particular, our objectives were to (1) identify potential differences in the distributional ranges of isopod families relative to their locomotory potential and to (2) evaluate the representativeness of the APEI for the preservation of regional biodiversity in the CCZ following mining disturbances. From 619 specimens, our SD analysis could distinguish 170 species, most of which were new to science (94.1 %). We found that increased locomotory ability correlated with higher species diversity with 9 species of Macrostylidae, 23 of Haploniscidae, 52 of Desmosomatidae, and 86 of Munnopsidae. This is supported by family-level rarefaction analyses. As expected, we found the largest species ranges in the families with swimming abilities, with a maximum recorded species range of 5245 and 4480 km in Munnopsidae and Desmosomatidae, respectively. The less motile Haploniscidae and Macrostylidae had maximal species ranges of 1391 and 1440 km, respectively. Overall, rarefaction analyses indicated that species richness did not vary much between areas, but the real number of species was still not sufficiently sampled. This is also indicated by the large proportion of singletons (40.5 %) found in this study. The investigated contractor areas in the CCZ were more similar in species composition and had a higher proportion of shared species between each other than the closely located APEI3 and the distantly located DISCOL area. In fact, the DISCOL area, located in the Peru Basin, had more species in common with the core CCZ areas than APEI3. In this regard, APEI3 does not appear to be representative as serving as a reservoir for the fauna of the investigated contractor areas, at least for isopods, as it has a different species composition. Certainly, more data from other APEIs, as well as preservation reference zones within contractor areas, are urgently needed in order to assess their potential as resources of recolonization of impacted seabed.

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Indo-Pacific coral biogeography: a case study from the Acropora selago group

Australian Systematic Botany ◽

10.1071/sb9910199 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 199 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

CC Wallace ◽

JM Pandolfi ◽

A Young ◽

J Wolstenholme

Keyword(s):

Indian Ocean ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Central Pacific ◽

Morphometric Characters ◽

Central Pacific Ocean ◽

Coral Genus ◽

Central Indian Ocean ◽

Marine Realm ◽

Species Groups

We develop species-level biogeographic hypotheses for Acropora, the largest extant coral genus and the dominant scleractinian coral of Indo-Pacific reefs, based on morphometric and phylogenetic analyses of the Acropora selago group. Fourteen morphometric characters differentiated species from this group with an accuracy of 95%. When the Tukey test was administered, 11 of these characters displayed nonoverlapping subsets. The most resolved phylogenetic tree resulted from an analysis based on both morphometric and qualitative characters. Cladistic-biogeographic analysis using this tree and areas derived from species-distribution patterns showed that species with the greatest degree of endemism within the A. selago group possess the most derived character states, while the most primitive species (A. yongei) is the most widespread. Within the range of the group, four areas are recognised: (1) the Red Sea, (2) western to central Indian Ocean, (3) eastern Indian Ocean and (4) western to central Pacific Ocean. Species ranges overlap in a stepwise fashion from west to east. Areas adjacent to one another are biogeographically more closely related than non-adjacent areas. Whilst we offer a scenario for the history of distribution patterns of the A. selago group, we propose that biogeographical hypotheses based on Acropora be tested using a number of different species-groups. Similar distributional ranges for other Acropora species-groups, as well as separate distributional ranges for further groups, suggest that Acropora will provide an appropriate taxon to examine the biogeography of the tropical marine realm.

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Supplementary material to "Adult life strategy affects distribution patterns in abyssal isopods – implications for conservation in Pacific nodule areas"

10.5194/bg-2019-358-supplement ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Saskia Brix ◽

Karen J. Osborn ◽

Stefanie Kaiser ◽

Sarit B. Truskey ◽

Sarah M. Schnurr ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adult Life ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Life Strategy ◽

Supplementary Material

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Distribution of Si, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Co, Zn, Pb, Mg, and Ca in reain-size fractions of sediment samples from a manganese nodule field in the Central Pacific Ocean

Marine Geology ◽

10.1016/0025-3227(79)90111-7 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 29 (1-4) ◽

pp. 237-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Peter Halbach ◽

Ernst Rehm ◽

Vesna Marchig

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

Manganese Nodule ◽

Central Pacific ◽

Sediment Samples ◽

Size Fractions ◽

Central Pacific Ocean

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Patterns and drivers of microeukaryotic distribution along the North Equatorial Current from the Central Pacific Ocean to the South China Sea

Marine Pollution Bulletin ◽

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112091 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 165 ◽

pp. 112091

Author(s):

Feng Zhao ◽

Yu Wang ◽

Shan Zheng ◽

Rongjie Zhao ◽

Mao Lin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

South China Sea ◽

South China ◽

The South China Sea ◽

North Equatorial Current ◽

Central Pacific ◽

China Sea ◽

Central Pacific Ocean ◽

The North ◽

Equatorial Current

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Primary Production in the Water Column as Major Structuring Element of the Biogeographical Distribution and Function of Archaea in Deep-Sea Sediments of the Central Pacific Ocean

Archaea ◽

10.1155/2019/3717239 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Franziska Wemheuer ◽

Avril Jean Elisabeth von Hoyningen-Huene ◽

Marion Pohlner ◽

Julius Degenhardt ◽

Bert Engelen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

Primary Production ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Archaeal Community ◽

Central Pacific ◽

Central Pacific Ocean ◽

Deep Sea Sediments ◽

And Function ◽

Functional Profiles ◽

Archaeal Communities

Information on environmental conditions shaping archaeal communities thriving at the seafloor of the central Pacific Ocean is limited. The present study was conducted to investigate the diversity, composition, and function of both entire and potentially active archaeal communities within Pacific deep-sea sediments. For this purpose, sediment samples were taken along the 180° meridian of the central Pacific Ocean. Community composition and diversity were assessed by Illumina tag sequencing targeting archaeal 16S rRNA genes and transcripts. Archaeal communities were dominated by CandidatusNitrosopumilus(Thaumarchaeota) and other members of theNitrosopumilaceae(Thaumarchaeota), but higher relative abundances of the Marine Group II (Euryarchaeota) were observed in the active compared to the entire archaeal community. The composition of the entire and the active archaeal communities was strongly linked to primary production (chlorophyll content), explaining more than 40% of the variance. Furthermore, we found a strong correlation of the entire archaeal community composition to latitude and silicic acid content, while the active community was significantly correlated with primary production and ferric oxide content. We predicted functional profiles from 16S rRNA data to assess archaeal community functions. Latitude was significantly correlated with functional profiles of the entire community, whereas those of the active community were significantly correlated with nitrate and chlorophyll content. The results of the present study provide first insights into benthic archaeal communities in the Pacific Ocean and environmental conditions shaping their diversity, distribution, and function. Additionally, they might serve as a template for further studies investigating archaea colonizing deep-sea sediments.

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