MEPS 508:177-185 (2014)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10877

ABSTRACT: Measuring and understanding patterns of β-diversity remain major challenges in community ecology. Recently, β-diversity has been shown to consist of 2 distinct components: (1) spatial turnover and (2) species loss leading to nestedness. Both components structure deep-sea macrofaunal assemblages but vary in importance among taxa and ocean basins and with energy availability. Here, we present the first evidence for turnover and nestedness along a bathymetric gradient in 2 major megafaunal taxa, holothurians and asteroids. Turnover is the dominant component of β-diversity throughout bathyal and abyssal zones in both taxa, despite major differences in β-diversity and trophic composition. High spatial turnover suggests a role for evolutionary adaptation to environmental circumstances within depth bands. This pattern differs fundamentally from those in some macrofaunal groups in low-energy environments where abyssal nestedness is high and diversity low, with diversity maintained partly by source-sink dynamics.

KEY WORDS: Beta diversity · Nestedness · Turnover · Source-sink dynamics · Deep sea · Echinoderms · Asteroids · Holothurians

Full text in pdf format Supplementary material

Cite this article as: Wagstaff MC, Howell KL, Bett BJ, Billett DSM, Brault S, Stuart CT, Rex MA (2014) β-diversity of deep-sea holothurians and asteroids along a bathymetric gradient (NE Atlantic). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 508:177-185. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10877 Export citation Share:    Facebook - - linkedIn