Dense cold‐water coral garden of Paragorgia johnsoni suggests the importance of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge for deep‐sea biodiversity

Telmo Morato; Carlos Dominguez‐Carrió; Christian Mohn; Oscar Ocaña Vicente; Manuela Ramos; Luís Rodrigues; Íris Sampaio; Gerald H. Taranto; Laurence Fauconnet; Inês Tojeira; Emanuel J. Gonçalves; Marina Carreiro‐Silva

doi:10.1002/ece3.8319

journal article Open Access Nov 24, 2021

Dense cold‐water coral garden of Paragorgia johnsoni suggests the importance of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge for deep‐sea biodiversity

Telmo Morato

Carlos Dominguez‐Carrió

Christian Mohn

Oscar Ocaña Vicente Manuela Ramos Luís Rodrigues Íris Sampaio

Gerald H. Taranto

Laurence Fauconnet Inês Tojeira

Emanuel J. Gonçalves

Marina Carreiro‐Silva

Ecology and Evolution Vol. 11 No. 23 pp. 16426-16433 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/ece3.8319

Abstract

AbstractMid‐ocean ridges generate a myriad of physical oceanographic processes that favor the supply of food and nutrients to suspension‐ and filter‐feeding organisms, such as cold‐water corals and deep‐sea sponges. However, the pioneering work conducted along the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge failed to report the presence of large and dense living coral reefs, coral gardens, or sponge aggregations. Here, we describe the densest, near‐natural, and novel octocoral garden composed of large red and white colonies of Paragorgia johnsoni Gray, 1862 discovered at 545–595 m depth on the slopes of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, in the Azores region. This newly discovered octocoral garden is a good candidate for protection since it fits many of the FAO criteria that define what constitutes a Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem. The observations described here corroborate the existence of a close relationship between the octocoral structure and the ambient currents on ridge‐like topographies, providing new insights into the functioning of mid‐ocean ridges' ecosystems. The ubiquitous presence of biogenic and geological topographies associated with mid‐ocean ridges, which could act as climate refugia, suggests their global importance for deep‐sea biodiversity. A better understanding of the processes involved is, therefore, required. Our observations may inspire future deep‐sea research initiatives to narrow existing knowledge gaps of biophysical connections with benthic fauna at small spatial scales along mid‐ocean ridges.

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Details

Published: Nov 24, 2021
Vol/Issue: 11(23)
Pages: 16426-16433
License: View

Authors

T

Telmo Morato

Ocean Sciences Institute ‐ Okeanos University of the Azores Horta Portugal; IMAR Instituto do Mar University of the Azores Horta Portugal

C

Carlos Dominguez‐Carrió

Ocean Sciences Institute ‐ Okeanos University of the Azores Horta Portugal; IMAR Instituto do Mar University of the Azores Horta Portugal

C

Christian Mohn

Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Roskilde Denmark

O

Oscar Ocaña Vicente

Departamento de Biología Marina Fundación Museo del Mar Ceuta Spain

M

Manuela Ramos

Ocean Sciences Institute ‐ Okeanos University of the Azores Horta Portugal; IMAR Instituto do Mar University of the Azores Horta Portugal

L

Luís Rodrigues

Ocean Sciences Institute ‐ Okeanos University of the Azores Horta Portugal; IMAR Instituto do Mar University of the Azores Horta Portugal

�

Íris Sampaio

University of the Azores Horta Portugal

G

Gerald H. Taranto

Ocean Sciences Institute ‐ Okeanos University of the Azores Horta Portugal; IMAR Instituto do Mar University of the Azores Horta Portugal

L

Laurence Fauconnet

Ocean Sciences Institute ‐ Okeanos University of the Azores Horta Portugal; IMAR Instituto do Mar University of the Azores Horta Portugal

I

Inês Tojeira

Portuguese Task Group for the Extension of the Continental Shelf (EMEPC) Paço de Arcos Portugal

E

Emanuel J. Gonçalves

MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre ISPA – Instituto Universitário Lisbon Portugal; Oceano Azul Foundation Oceanário de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal

M

Marina Carreiro‐Silva

Ocean Sciences Institute ‐ Okeanos University of the Azores Horta Portugal; IMAR Instituto do Mar University of the Azores Horta Portugal

Funding

Horizon 2020 Framework Programme Award: 678760

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Award: CCCIND/03345/2020

Secretaria Regional do Mar, Ciência e Tecnologia Award: ACORES‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐000056

Cite This Article

Telmo Morato, Carlos Dominguez‐Carrió, Christian Mohn, et al. (2021). Dense cold‐water coral garden of Paragorgia johnsoni suggests the importance of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge for deep‐sea biodiversity. Ecology and Evolution, 11(23), 16426-16433. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8319

Dense cold‐water coral garden of Paragorgia johnsoni suggests the importance of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge for deep‐sea biodiversity

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