Suchergebnisse

The deep sea (i.e., 200 m depth) is a highly dynamic environment where benthic ecosystems are functionally and ecologically connected with the overlying water column and the surface. In the aphotic deep sea, organisms rely on external signals to synchronize their biological clocks. Apart from responding to cyclic hydrodynamic patterns and periodic fluctuations of variables such as temperature, salinity, phytopigments, and oxygen concentration, the arrival of migrators at depth on a 24-h basis (described as Diel Vertical Migrations; DVMs), and from well-lit surface and shallower waters, could represent a major response to a solar-based synchronization between the photic and aphotic realms. In addition to triggering the rhythmic behavioral responses of benthic species, DVMs supply food to deep seafloor communities through the active downward transport of carbon and nutrients. Bioluminescent species of the migrating deep scattering layers play a not yet quantified (but likely important) role in the benthopelagic coupling, raising the need to integrate the efficient detection and quantification of bioluminescence into large-scale monitoring programs. Here, we provide evidence in support of the benefits for quantifying and continuously monitoring bioluminescence in the deep sea. In particular, we recommend the integration of bioluminescence studies into long-term monitoring programs facilitated by deep-sea neutrino telescopes, which offer photon counting capability. Their Photo-Multiplier Tubes and other advanced optical sensors installed in neutrino telescope infrastructures can boost the study of bioluminescent DVMs in concert with acoustic backscatter and video imagery from ultra-low-light cameras. Such integration will enhance our ability to monitor proxies for the mass and energy transfer from the upper ocean into the deep-sea Benthic Boundary Layer (BBL), a key feature of the ocean biological pump and crucial for monitoring the effects of climate-change. In addition, it will allow for investigating the role of deep scattering DVMs in the behavioral responses, abundance and structure of deep-sea benthic communities. The proposed approach may represent a new frontier for the study and discovery of new, taxon-specific bioluminescence capabilities. It will thus help to expand our knowledge of poorly described deep-sea biodiversity inventories and further elucidate the connectivity between pelagic and benthic compartments in the deep-sea. ; This work was developed within the framework of the Tecnoterra (ICM-CSIC/UPC) and the following project activities: ARIM (Autonomous Robotic sea-floor Infrastructure for benthopelagic Monitoring; MartTERA ERA-Net Cofound) and RESBIO (TEC2017-87861-R; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades; PIs: JR and JA) and with funding from the Spanish government through the 'Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence' accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S). Ocean Networks Canada was funded through Canada Foundation for Innovation-Major Science Initiative Fund 30199 to FD and BP. The STRAW and STRAW-b experiments deployed and connected through the NEPTUNE cabled observatory are supported by the German Research Foundation through grant SFB 1258 "Neutrinos and Dark Matter in Astro- and Particle Physics," the cluster of excellence "Origin and Structure of the Universe," and the University of Alberta. ; Peer Reviewed ; Postprint (published version)

Deep-sea ecosystems are reservoirs of biodiversity that are largely unexplored, but their exploration and biodiscovery are becoming a reality thanks to biotechnological advances (e.g., omics technologies) and their integration in an expanding network of marine infrastructures for the exploration of the seas, such as cabled observatories. While still in its infancy, the application of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding approaches is revolutionizing marine biodiversity monitoring capability. Indeed, the analysis of eDNA in conjunction with the collection of multidisciplinary optoacoustic and environmental data, can provide a more comprehensive monitoring of deep-sea biodiversity. Here, we describe the potential for acquiring eDNA as a core component for the expanding ecological monitoring capabilities through cabled observatories and their docked Internet Operated Vehicles (IOVs), such as crawlers. Furthermore, we provide a critical overview of four areas of development: (i) Integrating eDNA with optoacoustic imaging; (ii) Development of eDNA repositories and cross-linking with other biodiversity databases; (iii) Artificial Intelligence for eDNA analyses and integration with imaging data; and (iv) Benefits of eDNA augmented observatories for the conservation and sustainable management of deep-sea biodiversity. Finally, we discuss the technical limitations and recommendations for future eDNA monitoring of the deep-sea. It is hoped that this review will frame the future direction of an exciting journey of biodiscovery in remote and yet vulnerable areas of our planet, with the overall aim to understand deep-sea biodiversity and hence manage and protect vital marine resources. ; This research has been funded within the framework of the following project activities: ARIM (Autonomous Robotic Sea-Floor Infrastructure for Benthopelagic Monitoring; MarTERA ERA-Net Cofound); RESBIO (TEC2017-87861-R; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades); JERICO-S3: (Horizon 2020; Grant Agreement no. 871153); ENDURUNS (Research Grant Agreement H2020-MG-2018-2019-2020 n.824348); Slovenian Research Agency (Research Core Funding Nos. P1-0237 and P1-0255 and project ARRS-RPROJ-JR-J1-3015). We also profited of the funding from the Spanish Government through the "Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence" accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S) and Italian Ministry of Education (MIUR) under the "Bando premiale FOE 2015" (nota prot. N. 850, dd. 27 ottobre 2017) with the project EarthCruisers "EARTH's CRUst Imagery for Investigating Seismicity, Volcanism, and Marine Natural Resources in the Sicilian Offshore". Ocean Networks Canada was funded through Canada Foundation for Innovation-Major Science Initiative (CFI-MSI) fund 30199. ; Peer Reviewed ; Postprint (published version)

ABSTRACT The peripheral areas of deep-sea hydrothermal vents are often inhabited by an assemblage of animals distinct to those living close to vent chimneys. For many such taxa, it is considered that peak abundances in the vent periphery relate to the availability of hard substrate as well as the increased concentrations of organic matter generated at vents, compared to background areas. However, the peripheries of vents are less well-studied than the assemblages of vent-endemic taxa, and the mechanisms through which peripheral fauna may benefit from vent environments are generally unknown. Understanding this is crucial for evaluating the sphere of influence of hydrothermal vents and managing the impacts of future human activity within these environments, as well as offering insights into the processes of metazoan adaptation to vents. In this study, we explored the evolutionary histories, microbiomes and nutritional sources of two distantly-related sponge types living at the periphery of active hydrothermal vents in two different geological settings (Cladorhiza from the E2 vent site on the East Scotia Ridge, Southern Ocean, and Spinularia from the Endeavour vent site on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, North-East Pacific) to examine their relationship to nearby venting. Our results uncovered a close sister relationship between the majority of our E2 Cladorhiza specimens and the species Cladorhiza methanophila, known to harbor and obtain nutrition from methanotrophic symbionts at cold seeps. Our microbiome analyses demonstrated that both E2 Cladorhiza and Endeavour Spinularia sp. are associated with putative chemosynthetic Gammaproteobacteria, including Thioglobaceae (present in both sponge types) and Methylomonaceae (present in Spinularia sp.). These bacteria are closely related to chemoautotrophic symbionts of bathymodiolin mussels. Both vent-peripheral sponges demonstrate carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures consistent with contributions to nutrition from chemosynthesis. This study expands the number of known ...

Seafloor multiparametric fibre-optic-cabled video observatories are emerging tools for standardized monitoring programmes, dedicated to the production of real-time fishery-independent stock assessment data. Here, we propose that a network of cabled cameras can be set up and optimized to ensure representative long-term monitoring of target commercial species and their surrounding habitats. We highlight the importance of adding the spatial dimension to fixed-point-cabled monitoring networks, and the need for close integration with Artificial Intelligence pipelines, that are necessary for fast and reliable biological data processing. We then describe two pilot studies, exemplary of using video imagery and environmental monitoring to derive robust data as a foundation for future ecosystem-based fish-stock and biodiversity management. The first example is from the NE Pacific Ocean where the deep-water sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) has been monitored since 2010 by the NEPTUNE cabled observatory operated by Ocean Networks Canada. The second example is from the NE Atlantic Ocean where the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) is being monitored using the SmartBay observatory developed for the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatories. Drawing from these two examples, we provide insights into the technological challenges and future steps required to develop full-scale fishery-independent stock assessments. ; This work was funded by the following project activities: ARIM (Autonomous Robotic sea-floor Infrastructure for benthopelagic Monitoring; MartTERA ERA-Net Cofound), ARCHES (Autonomous Robotic Networks to Help Modern Societies; German Helmholtz Association), RESBIO (TEC2017-87861-R; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Government), RESNEP (CTM2017-82991-C2-1-R; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Government), and SmartLobster (EMSO-LINK Trans National Access-TNA). The EMSO_SmartBay cabled observatory was funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) as part of a SFI Research Infrastructure Award Grant No. 12/RI/2331. ; Peer Reviewed ; Postprint (author's final draft)