Does Presence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity?
In contrast to generally sparse biological communities in open-ocean settings, seamounts and ridges are perceived as areas of elevated productivity and biodiversity capable of supporting commercial fisheries. We investigated the origin of this apparent biological enhancement over a segment of the No...
Published in: | PLoS ONE |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2013
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/503404/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/503404/1/PLOS_One_Priede.pdf https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061550 |
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Open Polar |
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Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
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ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
In contrast to generally sparse biological communities in open-ocean settings, seamounts and ridges are perceived as areas of elevated productivity and biodiversity capable of supporting commercial fisheries. We investigated the origin of this apparent biological enhancement over a segment of the North Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) using sonar, corers, trawls, traps, and a remotely operated vehicle to survey habitat, biomass, and biodiversity. Satellite remote sensing provided information on flow patterns, thermal fronts, and primary production, while sediment traps measured export flux during 2007–2010. The MAR, 3,704,404 km2 in area, accounts for 44.7% lower bathyal habitat (800–3500 m depth) in the North Atlantic and is dominated by fine soft sediment substrate (95% of area) on a series of flat terraces with intervening slopes either side of the ridge axis contributing to habitat heterogeneity. The MAR fauna comprises mainly species known from continental margins with no evidence of greater biodiversity. Primary production and export flux over the MAR were not enhanced compared with a nearby reference station over the Porcupine Abyssal Plain. Biomasses of benthic macrofauna and megafauna were similar to global averages at the same depths totalling an estimated 258.9 kt C over the entire lower bathyal north MAR. A hypothetical flat plain at 3500 m depth in place of the MAR would contain 85.6 kt C, implying an increase of 173.3 kt C attributable to the presence of the Ridge. This is approximately equal to 167 kt C of estimated pelagic biomass displaced by the volume of the MAR. There is no enhancement of biological productivity over the MAR; oceanic bathypelagic species are replaced by benthic fauna otherwise unable to survive in the mid ocean. We propose that globally sea floor elevation has no effect on deep sea biomass; pelagic plus benthic biomass is constant within a given surface productivity regime. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Priede, Imants G. Bergstad, Odd Aksel Miller, Peter I. Vecchione, Michael Gebruk, Andrey Falkenhaug, Tone Billett, David S.M. Craig, Jessica Dale, Andrew C. Shields, Mark A. Tilstone, Gavin H. Sutton, Tracey T. Gooday, Andrew J. Inall, Mark E. Jones, Daniel O.B. Martinez-Vicente, Victor Menezes, Gui M. Niedzielski, Tomasz Sigurðsson, Þorsteinn Rothe, Nina Rogacheva, Antonina Alt, Claudia H. S. Brand, Timothy Abell, Richard Brierley, Andrew S. Cousins, Nicola J. Crockard, Deborah Hoelzel, A. Rus Høines, Åge Letessier, Tom B. Read, Jane F. Shimmield, Tracy Cox, Martin J. Galbraith, John K. Gordon, John D. M. Horton, Tammy Neat, Francis Lorance, Pascal |
spellingShingle |
Priede, Imants G. Bergstad, Odd Aksel Miller, Peter I. Vecchione, Michael Gebruk, Andrey Falkenhaug, Tone Billett, David S.M. Craig, Jessica Dale, Andrew C. Shields, Mark A. Tilstone, Gavin H. Sutton, Tracey T. Gooday, Andrew J. Inall, Mark E. Jones, Daniel O.B. Martinez-Vicente, Victor Menezes, Gui M. Niedzielski, Tomasz Sigurðsson, Þorsteinn Rothe, Nina Rogacheva, Antonina Alt, Claudia H. S. Brand, Timothy Abell, Richard Brierley, Andrew S. Cousins, Nicola J. Crockard, Deborah Hoelzel, A. Rus Høines, Åge Letessier, Tom B. Read, Jane F. Shimmield, Tracy Cox, Martin J. Galbraith, John K. Gordon, John D. M. Horton, Tammy Neat, Francis Lorance, Pascal Does Presence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity? |
author_facet |
Priede, Imants G. Bergstad, Odd Aksel Miller, Peter I. Vecchione, Michael Gebruk, Andrey Falkenhaug, Tone Billett, David S.M. Craig, Jessica Dale, Andrew C. Shields, Mark A. Tilstone, Gavin H. Sutton, Tracey T. Gooday, Andrew J. Inall, Mark E. Jones, Daniel O.B. Martinez-Vicente, Victor Menezes, Gui M. Niedzielski, Tomasz Sigurðsson, Þorsteinn Rothe, Nina Rogacheva, Antonina Alt, Claudia H. S. Brand, Timothy Abell, Richard Brierley, Andrew S. Cousins, Nicola J. Crockard, Deborah Hoelzel, A. Rus Høines, Åge Letessier, Tom B. Read, Jane F. Shimmield, Tracy Cox, Martin J. Galbraith, John K. Gordon, John D. M. Horton, Tammy Neat, Francis Lorance, Pascal |
author_sort |
Priede, Imants G. |
title |
Does Presence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity? |
title_short |
Does Presence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity? |
title_full |
Does Presence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity? |
title_fullStr |
Does Presence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Does Presence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity? |
title_sort |
does presence of a mid-ocean ridge enhance biomass and biodiversity? |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/503404/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/503404/1/PLOS_One_Priede.pdf https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061550 |
geographic |
Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
geographic_facet |
Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/503404/1/PLOS_One_Priede.pdf Priede, Imants G.; Bergstad, Odd Aksel; Miller, Peter I.; Vecchione, Michael; Gebruk, Andrey; Falkenhaug, Tone; Billett, David S.M.; Craig, Jessica; Dale, Andrew C.; Shields, Mark A.; Tilstone, Gavin H.; Sutton, Tracey T.; Gooday, Andrew J. orcid:0000-0002-5661-7371 Inall, Mark E.; Jones, Daniel O.B. orcid:0000-0001-5218-1649 Martinez-Vicente, Victor; Menezes, Gui M.; Niedzielski, Tomasz; Sigurðsson, Þorsteinn; Rothe, Nina; Rogacheva, Antonina; Alt, Claudia H. S.; Brand, Timothy; Abell, Richard; Brierley, Andrew S.; Cousins, Nicola J.; Crockard, Deborah; Hoelzel, A. Rus; Høines, Åge; Letessier, Tom B.; Read, Jane F.; Shimmield, Tracy; Cox, Martin J.; Galbraith, John K.; Gordon, John D. M.; Horton, Tammy orcid:0000-0003-4250-1068 Neat, Francis; Lorance, Pascal. 2013 Does Presence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity? PLoS ONE, 8 (5). e61550. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061550 <https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061550> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061550 |
container_title |
PLoS ONE |
container_volume |
8 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
e61550 |
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1766135437385007104 |
spelling |
ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:503404 2023-05-15T17:36:04+02:00 Does Presence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity? Priede, Imants G. Bergstad, Odd Aksel Miller, Peter I. Vecchione, Michael Gebruk, Andrey Falkenhaug, Tone Billett, David S.M. Craig, Jessica Dale, Andrew C. Shields, Mark A. Tilstone, Gavin H. Sutton, Tracey T. Gooday, Andrew J. Inall, Mark E. Jones, Daniel O.B. Martinez-Vicente, Victor Menezes, Gui M. Niedzielski, Tomasz Sigurðsson, Þorsteinn Rothe, Nina Rogacheva, Antonina Alt, Claudia H. S. Brand, Timothy Abell, Richard Brierley, Andrew S. Cousins, Nicola J. Crockard, Deborah Hoelzel, A. Rus Høines, Åge Letessier, Tom B. Read, Jane F. Shimmield, Tracy Cox, Martin J. Galbraith, John K. Gordon, John D. M. Horton, Tammy Neat, Francis Lorance, Pascal 2013-05-02 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/503404/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/503404/1/PLOS_One_Priede.pdf https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061550 en eng https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/503404/1/PLOS_One_Priede.pdf Priede, Imants G.; Bergstad, Odd Aksel; Miller, Peter I.; Vecchione, Michael; Gebruk, Andrey; Falkenhaug, Tone; Billett, David S.M.; Craig, Jessica; Dale, Andrew C.; Shields, Mark A.; Tilstone, Gavin H.; Sutton, Tracey T.; Gooday, Andrew J. orcid:0000-0002-5661-7371 Inall, Mark E.; Jones, Daniel O.B. orcid:0000-0001-5218-1649 Martinez-Vicente, Victor; Menezes, Gui M.; Niedzielski, Tomasz; Sigurðsson, Þorsteinn; Rothe, Nina; Rogacheva, Antonina; Alt, Claudia H. S.; Brand, Timothy; Abell, Richard; Brierley, Andrew S.; Cousins, Nicola J.; Crockard, Deborah; Hoelzel, A. Rus; Høines, Åge; Letessier, Tom B.; Read, Jane F.; Shimmield, Tracy; Cox, Martin J.; Galbraith, John K.; Gordon, John D. M.; Horton, Tammy orcid:0000-0003-4250-1068 Neat, Francis; Lorance, Pascal. 2013 Does Presence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity? PLoS ONE, 8 (5). e61550. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061550 <https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061550> Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2013 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061550 2023-02-04T19:37:50Z In contrast to generally sparse biological communities in open-ocean settings, seamounts and ridges are perceived as areas of elevated productivity and biodiversity capable of supporting commercial fisheries. We investigated the origin of this apparent biological enhancement over a segment of the North Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) using sonar, corers, trawls, traps, and a remotely operated vehicle to survey habitat, biomass, and biodiversity. Satellite remote sensing provided information on flow patterns, thermal fronts, and primary production, while sediment traps measured export flux during 2007–2010. The MAR, 3,704,404 km2 in area, accounts for 44.7% lower bathyal habitat (800–3500 m depth) in the North Atlantic and is dominated by fine soft sediment substrate (95% of area) on a series of flat terraces with intervening slopes either side of the ridge axis contributing to habitat heterogeneity. The MAR fauna comprises mainly species known from continental margins with no evidence of greater biodiversity. Primary production and export flux over the MAR were not enhanced compared with a nearby reference station over the Porcupine Abyssal Plain. Biomasses of benthic macrofauna and megafauna were similar to global averages at the same depths totalling an estimated 258.9 kt C over the entire lower bathyal north MAR. A hypothetical flat plain at 3500 m depth in place of the MAR would contain 85.6 kt C, implying an increase of 173.3 kt C attributable to the presence of the Ridge. This is approximately equal to 167 kt C of estimated pelagic biomass displaced by the volume of the MAR. There is no enhancement of biological productivity over the MAR; oceanic bathypelagic species are replaced by benthic fauna otherwise unable to survive in the mid ocean. We propose that globally sea floor elevation has no effect on deep sea biomass; pelagic plus benthic biomass is constant within a given surface productivity regime. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Mid-Atlantic Ridge PLoS ONE 8 5 e61550 |