Journal article
A test of the seamount oasis hypothesis: seamounts support higher epibenthic megafaunal biomass than adjacent slopes
Marine Ecology, Vol.31(Supplement 1), pp.95-106
2010
Abstract
Seamounts have often been viewed as specialized habitats that support unique communities; this notion has given rise to several hypotheses about how seamount ecosystems are structured. One, the 'seamount oasis hypothesis', predicts that invertebrates are more abundant, speciose and attain higher standing stocks on seamounts compared to other deep-sea habitats. Because this hypothesis has remained untested for biomass, we ask two questions: (i) Do seamounts support a higher benthic biomass than nearby slopes at corresponding depths? (ii) If they do, which particular taxa and trophic groups drive observed difference in biomass? Analysis of more than 5000 sea-floor images reveals that the mean biomass of epibenthic megafauna on 20 southwest Pacific seamounts was nearly four times greater than on the adjacent continental slope at comparable depths. This difference is largely attributable to the scleractinian coral Solenosmilia variabilis, whose mean biomass was 29 times higher on seamounts. In terms of trophic guilds, filter-feeders and filter-feeders/predators made up a significantly greater proportion of biomass on seamounts, whereas deposit feeders and those with mixed feeding modes dominated at slope habitats. Notwithstanding support for the seamount oasis hypothesis provided by this study, the hypothesis needs to be critically tested for seamounts in less productive regions, for seamounts with a greater proportion of soft substratum, and in other parts of the oceans where scleractinian corals are not prevalent. In this context, testing of seamount paradigms should be embedded in a broader ecological context that includes other margin habitats (e.g. canyons) and community metrics (e.g. diversity and body size).
Details
- Title
- A test of the seamount oasis hypothesis: seamounts support higher epibenthic megafaunal biomass than adjacent slopes
- Authors
- A A Rowden (Author) - National Institute for Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New ZealandThomas Schlacher (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health and EducationA Williams (Author) - CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Marine LaboratoriesM R Clark (Author) - National Institute for Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New ZealandR Stewart (Author) - National Institute for Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New ZealandF Althaus (Author) - CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Marine LaboratoriesD A Bowden (Author) - National Institute for Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New ZealandM Consalvey (Author) - National Institute for Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New ZealandWayne A Robinson (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health and EducationJ Dowdney (Author) - CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Marine Laboratories
- Publication details
- Marine Ecology, Vol.31(Supplement 1), pp.95-106
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Verlag GmbH
- Date published
- 2010
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1439-0485.2010.00369.x
- ISSN
- 0173-9565
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99449975602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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