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Academic literature on the topic 'Deep-sea Sponge Grounds Ecosystems of the North Atlantic'
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Journal articles on the topic "Deep-sea Sponge Grounds Ecosystems of the North Atlantic"
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Busch, Kathrin, Erik Wurz, Hans Tore Rapp, Kristina Bayer, Andre Franke, and Ute Hentschel. "Chloroflexi Dominate the Deep-Sea Golf Ball Sponges Craniella zetlandica and Craniella infrequens Throughout Different Life Stages." Frontiers in Marine Sciences 7 (August 21, 2020): 674. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00674.
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ABSTRACT. Deep-sea sponge grounds are underexplored ecosystems that provide numerous goods and services to the functioning of the deep-sea. This study assessed the prokaryotic diversity in embryos, recruits, and adults of <em>Craniella zetlandica</em> and <em>Craniella infrequens</em>, common and abundant representatives of deep-sea sponge grounds in the North Atlantic. Our results reveal that symbiont transmission in the two <em>Craniella</em> sponge species likely occurs vertically, as highly similar microbial consortia have been identified in adults, embryos, and recruits. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy revealed high abundances of sponge-associated microorganisms, among which <em>Chloroflexi</em> (<em>SAR202</em>) were identified as common representatives by amplicon sequencing and fluorescence <em>in situ</em> hybridization (FISH). Equal diversity metrices, a similar overall prokaryotic community composition and a distinct dominance of the phylum <em>Chloroflexi</em> within all life stages are the key findings of our analyses. Information such as presented here provide understanding on the recruitment of deep-sea sponge holobionts which is needed to develop integrated management tools of such vulnerable marine ecosystems.
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Bart, Martijn C., Benjamin Mueller, Titus Rombouts, et al. "Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is essential to balance the metabolicdemands of four dominant North-Atlantic deep-sea sponges." Limnology and Oceanography 9999 (December 7, 2020): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11652.
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ABSTRACT Sponges are ubiquitous components of various deep-sea habitats, including cold water coral reefs and deep-sea sponge grounds. Despite being surrounded by oligotrophic waters, these ecosystems are known to be hotspots of biodiversity and carbon cycling. To assess the role of sponges in the carbon cycling of deep-sea ecosystems, we studied the energy budgets of six dominant deep-sea sponges (the hexactinellid species <em>Vazella pourtalesi</em>, and demosponge species <em>Geodia barretti</em>, <em>Geodia atlantica</em>, <em>Craniella zetlandica</em>, <em>Hymedesmia paupertas</em> and <em>Acantheurypon spinispinosum</em>) in an ex situ aquarium setup. Additionally, we determined morphological metrics for all species (volume, dry weight (DW), wet weight (WW), carbon (C) content, and ash-free dry weight (AFDW)) and provide species-specific conversion factors. Oxygen (O<sub>2</sub>) removal rates averaged 3.3 ± 2.8 µmol O<sub>2</sub> DW<sub>sponge</sub> h<sup>−1</sup> (all values mean ± SD), live particulate (bacterial and phytoplankton) organic carbon (LPOC) removal rates averaged 0.30 ± 0.39 µmol C DW<sub>sponge</sub> h<sup>−1</sup> and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal rates averaged 18.70 ± 25.02 µmol C DW<sub>sponge</sub> h<sup>−1</sup>. Carbon mass balances were calculated for four species (<em>V. pourtalesi</em>, <em>G. barretti</em>, <em>G. atlantica</em> and <em>H. paupertas</em>) and revealed that the sponges acquired 1.3–6.6 times the amount of carbon needed to sustain their minimal respiratory demands. These results indicate that irrespective of taxonomic class, growth form, and abundance of microbial symbionts, DOC is responsible for over 90 % of the total net organic carbon removal of deep-sea sponges and allows them to sustain in otherwise food-limited environments on the ocean floor.
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Pham, CK, FJ Murillo, C. Lirette, et al. "Removal of deep-sea sponges by bottom trawling in the Flemish Cap area: conservation, ecology and economic assessment." Scientific Reports 9 (November 1, 2019): 15843. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52250-1.
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ABSTRACT Deep-sea sponge grounds are vulnerable marine ecosystems, which through their benthic-pelagic coupling of nutrients, are of functional relevance to the deep-sea realm. The impact of fishing bycatch is here evaluated for the first time at a bathyal, sponge-dominated ecosystem in the high seas managed by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. Sponge biomass surfaces created from research survey data using both random forest modeling and a gridded surface revealed 231,140 t of sponges in the area. About 65% of that biomass was protected by current fisheries closures. However, projections of trawling tracks estimated that the sponge biomass within them would be wiped out in just 1 year by the current level of fishing activity if directed on the sponges. Because these sponges filter 56,143 ± 15,047 million litres of seawater daily, consume 63.11 ± 11.83 t of organic carbon through respiration, and affect the turnover of several nitrogen nutrients, their removal would likely affect the delicate ecological equilibrium of the deep-sea benthic ecosystem. We estimated that, on Flemish Cap, the economic value associated with seawater filtration by the sponges is nearly double the market value of the fish catch. Hence, fishery closures are essential to reach sponge conservation goals as economic drivers cannot be relied upon.
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Ramiro-Sánchez, Berta, José Manuel González-Irusta, Lean-Anne Henry, et al. "Characterization and mapping of a deep-sea sponge ground on the Tropic Seamount (Northeast Tropical Atlantic): Implications for spatial management in the high seas." Frontiers in Marine Science 6 (May 31, 2019): 278. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00278.
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Ferromanganese crusts occurring on seamounts are a potential resource for rare earth elements that are critical for low-carbon technologies. Seamounts, however, host vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), which means that spatial management is needed to address potential conflicts between mineral extraction and the conservation of deep-sea biodiversity. Exploration of the Tropic Seamount, located in an Area Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) in the subtropical North Atlantic, revealed large amounts of rare earth elements, as well as numerous VMEs, including high-density octocoral gardens, <em>Solenosmilia variabilis </em>patch reefs, xenophyophores, crinoid fields and deep-sea sponge grounds. This study focuses on the extensive monospecific grounds of the hexactinellid sponge <em>Poliopogon amadou </em>(Thomson, 1878). Deep-sea sponge grounds provide structurally complex habitat, augmenting local biodiversity. To understand the potential extent of these sponge grounds and inform spatial management, we produced the first ensemble species distribution model and local habitat suitability maps for <em>P. amadou </em>in the Atlantic employing Maximum Entropy (Maxent), General Additive Models (GAMs), and Random Forest (RF). The main factors driving the distribution of the sponge were depth and maximum current speed. The sponge grounds occurred in a marked bathymetric belt (2,500 – 3,000 m) within the upper North Atlantic Deep Water mass (2.5◦C, 34.7 psu, O2 6.7–7 mg ml−1), with a preference for areas bathed by moderately strong currents (0.2 – 0.4 ms−1). GAMs, Maxent and RF showed similar performance in terms of evaluation statistics but a different prediction, with RF showing the highest differences. This algorithm only retained depth and maximum currents whereas GAM and Maxent included bathymetric position index, slope, aspect and backscatter. In these latter two models, <em>P. amadou </em>showed a preference for high backscatter values and areas slightly elevated, flat or with gentle slopes and with a NE orientation. The lack of significant differences in model performance permitted to merge all predictions using an ensemble model approach. Our results contribute toward understanding the environmental drivers and biogeography of the species in the Atlantic. Furthermore, we present a case toward designating the Tropic Seamount as an Ecologically or Biologically Significant marine Area (EBSA) as a contribution to address biodiversity conservation in ABNJs.
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Sitjà, Cèlia, Manuel Maldonado, Carlos Farias, and José L. Rueda. "Export of bathyal benthos to the Atlantic through the Mediterranean outflow: Sponges from the mud volcanoes of the Gulf of Cadiz as a case study." Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 163 (July 25, 2020): 103326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103326.
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ABSTRACT The Mediterranean is a semi-enclosed sea, with a narrow natural connection —the Strait of Gibraltar— through its western basin to the North Atlantic. Many studies have investigated how the inflow of North Atlantic Surface water into the Mediterranean shapes the faunal composition and abundance of the shallow-water benthic communities of the Western Mediterranean. However, the reverse effect remains little explored, that is, at what level the relatively deep (>200 m deep) outflow of Mediterranean water (MOW) exports bathyal Mediterranean benthos into the North Atlantic and what is the fate of the exported fauna. In this study, we have investigated that process, using the bathyal sponge fauna known from a total of 9 biogeographical areas in the Northeastern Atlantic and 9 in the Western and Central Mediterranean, which accounted for a total of 456 spp. Prior to this general analysis, an exhaustive description of the bathyal sponge fauna (82 spp.) associated to 8 mud volcanoes located in the Gulf of Cadiz (Eastern North Atlantic) was conducted. This was necessary because the bathyal sponge fauna in the North Atlantic zone adjacent to the Strait of Gibraltar remained relatively poorly studied and that situation hindered relevant comparisons with the much better known bathyal fauna of the Western Mediterranean. The results of the clustering, ordination and regression analyses first revealed that the bathyal sponge fauna described from the mud volcanoes field in the Gulf of Cadiz was not essentially different from that previously described in pre-existing studies of other bathyal environments in the Gulf of Cadiz. The large scale subsequent assessment across the Atlantic-Mediterranean biogeographical gradient revealed that the sponge faunas of all Western Mediterranean areas form a relative cohesive group, except for the idiosyncratic nature of the Tyrrhenian Sea. More importantly, the deep-sea sponge fauna of the Gulf of Cadiz (in the easternmost Atlantic side of the Atlantic-Mediterranean gradient) showed more affinity with the fauna of the Western Mediterranean than with the fauna of the remaining Northeastern Atlantic areas considered in the study (i.e., Cape Verde, Canary Islands, Madeira, the Moroccan slope, Lusitanian Banks, Southern Azores Banks and Azores). The Mediterranean area with the highest faunal similarity to the Gulf of Cadiz was the Alboran Sea, followed by the Gulf of Lion, the Strait of Sicily and, the Gulf of Taranto, sharing collectively about 17% of their species. These patterns of faunal affinities clearly illustrate the importance of the MOW in transporting components of the Mediterranean deep-sea sponge communities towards the bathyal communities of the Gulf of Cadiz. The contrasting low faunal affinity between the deep-water sponge fauna of the Gulf of Cadiz and the remaining North Atlantic areas considered in the analyses also revealed that the Mediterranean faunal export is largely circumscribed to the Gulf of Cadiz. It is likely that the North-Atlantic trajectory of the MOW, turning north after the Strait of Gibraltar and staying attached to the slope of the Iberian margin, hinders subsequent colonization of the slopes of the Macaronesia region by the deep-water Mediterranean sponges exported to the Gulf of Cadiz. The results of this study, combined with previous literature on biogeographical sponge transport by marine currents, suggest that the sponge fauna provides a useful tool to reveal the future shifts in the biogeographic patterns predicted in our man-impacted and changing ocean.
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Roberts, EM, DG Bowers, HK Meyer, A. Samuelsen, HT Rapp, and P. Cárdenas. "Water masses constrain the distribution of deep-sea sponges in the North Atlantic Ocean and Nordic Seas." Marine Ecology Progress Series 659 (February 4, 2021): 75–96. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13570.
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ABSTRACT Water masses are bodies of water with distinctive physical and biogeochemical properties. They impart vertical structure to the deep ocean, participate in circulation, and can be traced over great distances, potentially influencing the distributions of deep-sea fauna. The classic potential temperature-salinity (<em>θ</em>-<em>s</em>) diagram was used to investigate deep-sea sponge (demosponge genus <em>Geodia</em>) association with water masses over the North Atlantic Ocean and Nordic Seas. A novel analysis was conducted, based on sampling the curvature of climatological mean <em>θ</em>-<em>s</em> curves at sponge locations. Sponges were particularly associated with turning points in the <em>θ</em>-<em>s</em> curves, indicative of intermediate and deep water masses. Arctic geodiid species (<em>G. hentscheli</em> and <em>G. parva</em>) were associated with Arctic intermediate and deep waters in the Nordic Seas, and with dense overflows into the northern North Atlantic. Boreal species (<em>G. atlantica</em>, <em>G. barretti</em>, <em>G. macandrewii</em>, and <em>G. phlegraei</em>) were associated with upper and intermediate water masses in the Northeast Atlantic and with upper, Atlantic-derived waters in the Nordic Seas. Taken together with distributional patterns, a link with thermohaline currents was also inferred. We conclude that water masses and major current pathways structure the distribution of a key deep-sea benthic faunal group on an ocean basin scale. This is most likely because of a combination of the physical constraints they place on the dispersal of early life-history stages, ecophysiological adaptation (evolved tolerances) to specific water masses, and the benefits to filter-feeders of certain phenomena linked to water column structure (e.g. nepheloid layers, internal waves/tides, density-driven currents).
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Bart, Martijn C., Kluijver Anna de, Sean Hoetjes, et al. "Differential processing of dissolved and particulate organic matter by deep-sea sponges and their microbial symbionts." Scientific Reports 10 (October 15, 2020): 17515. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-74670-0.
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ABSTRACT Deep-sea sponges create hotspots of biodiversity and biological activity in the otherwise barren deep-sea. However, it remains elusive how sponge hosts and their microbial symbionts acquire and process food in these food-limited environments. Therefore, we traced the processing (i.e. assimilation and respiration) of <sup>13</sup>C- and <sup>15</sup>N-enriched dissolved organic matter (DOM) and bacteria by three dominant North Atlantic deep-sea sponges: the high microbial abundance (HMA) demosponge <em>Geodia barretti</em>, the low microbial abundance (LMA) demosponge <em>Hymedesmia paupertas</em>, and the LMA hexactinellid <em>Vazella pourtalesii</em>. We also assessed the assimilation of both food sources into sponge- and bacteria-specific phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA) biomarkers. All sponges were capable of assimilating DOM as well as bacteria. However, processing of the two food sources differed considerably between the tested species: the DOM assimilation-to-respiration efficiency was highest for the HMA sponge, yet uptake rates were 4–5 times lower compared to LMA sponges. In contrast, bacteria were assimilated most efficiently and at the highest rate by the hexactinellid compared to the demosponges. Our results indicate that phylogeny and functional traits (e.g., abundance of microbial symbionts, morphology) influence food preferences and diet composition of sponges, which further helps to understand their role as key ecosystem engineers of deep-sea habitats.
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Rooks, Christine, James Kar-Hei Fang, Pål Tore Mørkved, et al. "Deep-sea sponge grounds as nutrient sinks: denitrification is common in boreo-Arctic sponges." Biogeosciences 17 (March 6, 2020): 1231–45. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1231-2020.
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ABSTRACT. Sponges are commonly known as general nutrient providers for the marine ecosystem, recycling organic matter into various forms of bioavailable nutrients such as ammonium and nitrate. In this study we challenge this view. We show that nutrient removal through microbial denitrification is a common feature in six cold-water sponge species from boreal and Arctic sponge grounds. Denitrification rates were quantified by incubating sponge tissue sections with <sub>15</sub>NO<sup>−3</sup> - amended oxygen-saturated seawater, mimicking conditions in pumping sponges, and de-oxygenated seawater, mimicking non-pumping sponges. It was not possible to detect any rates of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) using incubations with <sub>15</sub>NH<sup>+4</sup>. Denitrification rates of the different sponge species ranged from below detection to 97 nmol N cm<sup>−3</sup> sponge d<sup>−1</sup> under oxic conditions, and from 24 to 279 nmol N cm<sup>−3</sup> sponge d<sup>−1</sup> under anoxic conditions. A positive relationship between the highest potential rates of denitrification (in the absence of oxygen) and the species-specific abundances of <em>nir</em>S and <em>nir</em>K genes encoding nitrite reductase, a key enzyme for denitrification, suggests that the denitrifying community in these sponge species is active and prepared for denitrification. The lack of a lag phase in the linear accumulation of the <sub>15</sub>N-labelled N<sub>2</sub> gas in any of our tissue incubations is another indicator for an active community of denitrifiers in the investigated sponge species. Low rates for coupled nitrification–denitrification indicate that also under oxic conditions, the nitrate used to fuel denitrification rates was derived rather from the ambient seawater than from sponge nitrification. The lack of <em>nif</em>H genes encoding nitrogenase, the key enzyme for nitrogen fixation, shows that the nitrogen cycle is not closed in the sponge grounds. The denitrified nitrogen, no matter its origin, is then no longer available as a nutrient for the marine ecosystem. These results suggest a high potential denitrification capacity of deep-sea sponge grounds based on typical sponge biomass on boreal and Arctic sponge grounds, with areal denitrification rates of 0.6 mmol N m<sup>−2</sup> d<sup>−1</sup> assuming non-pumping sponges and still 0.3 mmol N m<sup>−2</sup> d<sup>−1</sup> assuming pumping sponges. This is well within the range of denitrification rates of continental shelf sediments. Anthropogenic impact and global change processes affecting the sponge redox state may thus lead to deep-sea sponge grounds changing their role in marine ecosystem from being mainly nutrient sources to becoming mainly nutrient sinks. DATA AVAILABILITY.<em> </em>The data are available in the data publisher PANGAEA, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.899821 (Rooks et al., 2019). SUPPLEMENT.<em> </em>The supplement related to this article is available online at: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1231-2020-supplement. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. This study was performed in the scope of the SponGES project, which received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 679849. This document reflects only the authors’ views and the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. FINANCIAL SUPPORT. This research has been supported by the Eu-ropean Union Horizon 2020 programme (grant no. 679849), the Norwegian Research Council (grant no. 225283), and the Norwegian National Research Infrastructure (grant no. 245907). Joana R. Xavier’s research is further supported by the strategic funding (grant no. UID/Multi/04423/2019) provided by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) to CIIMAR.
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Roberts, EM, F. Mienis, HT Rapp, U. Hanz, HK Meyer, and AJ Davies. "Oceanographic setting and short-timescale environmental variability at an Arctic seamount sponge ground." Deep-Sea Research Part I 138 (June 11, 2018): 98–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2018.06.007.
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<strong>ABSTRACT</strong> Mass occurrences of large sponges, or ‘sponge grounds’, are found globally in a range of oceanographic settings. Interest in these grounds is growing because of their ecological importance as hotspots of biodiversity, their role in biogeochemical cycling and bentho-pelagic coupling, the biotechnological potential of their constituent sponges, and their perceived vulnerability to physical disturbance and environmental change. Little is known about the environmental conditions required for sponges to persist and for grounds to form, and very few studies have explicitly characterised and interpreted the importance of oceanographic conditions. Here, results are presented of the first observational oceanographic campaign at a known sponge ground on the Schultz Massif Seamount (SMS; Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, Greenland / Norwegian Seas). The campaign consisted of water column profiling and short-term deployment of a benthic lander. It was supported by multibeam echosounder bathymetry and remotely operated vehicle video surveys. The seamount summit hosted several environmental factors potentially beneficial to sponges. It occurred within relatively nutrient-rich waters and was regularly flushed from above with slightly warmer, oxygen-enriched Norwegian Arctic Intermediate Water. It was exposed to elevated suspended particulate matter levels and oscillating currents (with diurnal tidal frequency) likely to enhance food supply and prevent smothering of the sponges by sedimentation. Elevated chlorophyll <em>a </em>concentration was observed in lenses above the summit, which may indicate particle retention by seamount-scale circulation patterns. High sponge density and diversity observed on the summit is likely explained by the combination of several beneficial factors, the coincidence of which at the summit arises from interaction between seamount geomorphology, hydrodynamic regime, and water column structure. Neighbouring seamounts along the mid-ocean ridge are likely to present similarly complex oceanographic settings and, as with the SMS, associated sponge ground ecosystems may therefore be sensitive to changes over a particularly broad range of abiotic factors.
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Beazley, Lindsay, Ellen Kenchington, Francisco Javier Murillo, et al. "Climate change winner in the deep sea? Predicting the impacts of climate change on the distribution of the glass sponge Vazella pourtalesii." Marine Ecology Progress Series 657 (January 7, 2021): 1–23. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13566.
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ABSTRACT Shallow-water sponges are often cited as being ‘climate change winners’ due to their resiliency against climate change effects compared to other benthic taxa. However, little is known of the impacts of climate change on deep-water sponges. The deep-water glass sponge <em>Vazella pourtalesii</em> is distributed off eastern North America, forming dense sponge grounds with enhanced biodiversity on the Scotian Shelf off Nova Scotia, Canada. While the strong natural environmental variability that characterizes these sponge grounds suggests this species is resilient to a changing environment, its physiological limitations remain unknown, and the impact of more persistent anthropogenic climate change on its distribution has never been assessed. We used Random Forest and generalized additive models to project the distribution of <em>V. pourtalesii</em> in the northwest Atlantic using environmental conditions simulated under moderate and worst-case CO<sub>2</sub> emission scenarios. Under future (2046-2065) climate change, the suitable habitat of <em>V. pourtalesii</em> will increase up to 4 times its present-day size and shift into deeper waters and higher latitudes, particularly in its northern range where ocean warming will serve to improve the habitat surrounding this originally sub-tropical species. However, not all areas projected as suitable habitat in the future will realistically be populated, and the reduced likelihood of occurrence in its core habitat on the Scotian Shelf suggests that the existing <em>Vazella </em>sponge grounds may be negatively impacted. An effective monitoring programme will require tracking changes in the density and distribution of <em>V. pourtalesii</em> at the margins between core habitat and where losses and gains were projected.