Macrofauna density, biomass, and biodiversity on and off a cold-water coral mound in the Belgica Mounds, Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic
Tania, C. (2011). Macrofauna density, biomass, and biodiversity on and off a cold-water coral mound in the Belgica Mounds, Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic. MSc Thesis. Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). Department of Marine Ecology: Texel. 43 pp.
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| Beschikbaar in | Auteur |
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Documenttype: Doctoraat/Thesis/Eindwerk
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| Trefwoorden |
Biodiversity
Population characteristics > Biomass
Properties > Physical properties > Density
ANE, Porcupine Seabight [Marine Regions]
Marien/Kust |
| Abstract |
Cold-water coral with its extensive 3-dimensional structure can support a diverse benthic community. The goal of this study was to quantify the density, biomass, and biodiversity of the macrofauna for on-coral areas in comparison to off-coral areas. Feeding type was also determined to investigate the ecological function of the macrofauna. Samples were collected using a NIOZ box-corer in the Belgica Mounds, Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic. The results showed that on-coral samples had 12.63 times higher density and 22.49 times higher biomass than off-coral samples. The presence of cold-water coral structure alters the local environment providing favorable conditions for other macrofauna to flourish. Most of the on-coral macrofauna were suspension-feeding epifauna, while most off-coral macrofauna were deposit-feeding (interface and subsurface) infauna. On-coral sites had higher biodiversity than off-coral sites. However, further study and additional samplings are needed to reveal the real off-coral biodiversity range. |
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