Inter-Research > MEPS > v712 > p67-85  
MEPS
Marine Ecology Progress Series

via Mailchimp

MEPS 712:67-85 (2023)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14317

Alaska deep-sea coral and sponge assemblages are well-defined and mostly predictable from local environmental conditions

Michael F. Sigler1,#,*, Christopher N. Rooper2,#, Pam Goddard3, Rachel Wilborn3, Kresimir Williams3

1Shoals Marine Laboratory, Isles of Shoals, Maine, USA, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center (retired), 17109 Point Lena Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801-8626, USA
2Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N7, Canada
3National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Division, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-6349, USA
#These authors contributed equally
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: Vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), including deep-sea corals and sponges, are important habitats for many fish and invertebrate species and are at risk from the effects of fishing, seafloor mining, and climate change. We describe the zoogeography of deep-sea corals and sponges in Alaska, USA, and identify the environmental factors structuring these assemblages. Images were collected with a calibrated stereo drop-camera (n = 853 transect locations). We used cluster analysis to identify assemblages, canonical correspondence analysis to identify the primary environmental variables structuring these assemblages, and random forest and generalized additive modeling to predict their spatial distributions. The 6 identified assemblages were well defined, with each dominated by a single indicator taxon (2 coral taxa: Primnoidae, Stylasteridae; 2 sponge taxa: Demospongiae, Hexactinellida; 2 sea whip/pen taxa: Balticina sp., Ptilosarcus gurneyi). The most common assemblages were Demospongiae, Primnoidae, and Balticina sp. Primnoidae and Demospongiae were positively influenced by greater maximum tidal current, bottom current, and bottom temperature as well as proportion of rock and cobble (high for Primnoidae; low to medium for Demospongiae). Balticina sp. was influenced in the opposite direction and was aligned along lower maximum tidal current, bottom current, and bottom temperature as well as unconsolidated sediment and greater depth. We defined VME community indicators as the 6 assemblages, each dominated by a single indicator taxa. These VME community indicators can guide the identification of protected areas.


KEY WORDS: Coral · Sponge · Assemblage · Indicator taxa · Alaska


Full text in pdf format
Supplementary material
Cite this article as: Sigler MF, Rooper CN, Goddard P, Wilborn R, Williams K (2023) Alaska deep-sea coral and sponge assemblages are well-defined and mostly predictable from local environmental conditions. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 712:67-85. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14317

Export citation
Share:    Facebook - - linkedIn

 Previous article Next article