Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning
EU Network of Excellence

 
Main Menu

· Home
· Contacts
· Data Systems
· Documents
· FAQ
· Links
· MarBEF Open Archive
· Network Description
· Outreach
· Photo Gallery
· Quality Assurance
· Register of Resources
· Research Projects
· Rules and Guidelines
· Training
· Wiki
· Worldconference

 

Register of Resources (RoR)

 People  |  Datasets  |  Literature  |  Institutes  |  Projects 

[ report an error in this record ]basket (1): add | show Print this page

one publication added to basket [304376]
Responses of an abyssal meiobenthic community to short-term burial with crushed nodule particles in the south-east Pacific
Mevenkamp, L.; Guilini, K.; Boetius, A.; De Grave, J.; Laforce, B.; Vandenberghe, D.; Vincze, L.; Vanreusel, A. (2019). Responses of an abyssal meiobenthic community to short-term burial with crushed nodule particles in the south-east Pacific. Biogeosciences 16(11): 2329-2341. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2329-2019
In: Gattuso, J.P.; Kesselmeier, J. (Ed.) Biogeosciences. Copernicus Publications: Göttingen. ISSN 1726-4170; e-ISSN 1726-4189
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Authors  Top 
  • Mevenkamp, L.
  • Guilini, K., more
  • Boetius, A.
  • De Grave, J.
  • Laforce, B.
  • Vandenberghe, D.
  • Vincze, L.
  • Vanreusel, A., more

Abstract
    Increasing industrial metal demands due to rapid technological developments may drive the prospection and exploration of deep-sea mineral resources such as polymetallic nodules. To date, the potential environmental consequences of mining operations in the remote deep sea are poorly known. Experimental studies are scarce, especially with regard to the effect of sediment and nodule debris depositions as a consequence of seabed mining. To elucidate the potential effects of the deposition of crushed polymetallic nodule particles on abyssal meiobenthos communities, a short (11 days) in situ experiment at the Peru Basin in the South East Pacific Ocean was conducted. We covered abyssal, soft sediment with approx. 2cm of crushed nodule particles and sampled the sediment after eleven days of incubation at 4200m water depth. Short-term ecological effects on the meiobenthos community were studied including changes in their composition and vertical distribution in the sediment as well as nematode genus composition. Additionally, copper burden in a few similar-sized, but randomly selected nematodes was measured by means of µ-X-ray fluorescence. At the end of the experiment, 46±1% of the total meiobenthos occurred in the added crushed nodule layer while abundances decreased in the underlying 2cm compared to the same depth-interval in original, undisturbed sediments. Densities and community composition in the deeper 2–5cm layers remained similar in covered and undisturbed sediments. The migratory response into the added substrate was particularly seen in polychaetes (73±14%, relative abundance across all depth layers) copepods (71±6%), nauplii (61±9%) and nematodes (43±1%). While the dominant nematode genera in the added substrate did not differ from those in underlying layers or the undisturbed sediments, feeding type proportions in this layer were altered with a 9% decrease of non-selective deposit feeders and an 8% increase in epistrate feeders. Nematode tissue copper burden did not show elevated copper toxicity resulting from burial with crushed nodule particles. The results indicate that short-term substrate burial requires special attention with regard to ecological consequences of mineral extraction in the deep-sea.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors 


If any information here appears to be incorrect, please contact us
Back to Register of Resources
 
Quick links

MarBEF WIKI

Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (EMBC)
Outreach

Science
Responsive Mode Programme (RMP) - Marie Nordstrom, copyright Aspden Rebecca

WoRMS
part of WoRMS logo

ERMS 2.0
Epinephelus marginatus Picture: JG Harmelin

EurOBIS

Geographic System

Datasets

 


Web site hosted and maintained by Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) - Contact data-at-marbef.org