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ABSTRACT Reconstruction of silica cycling in the oceans is key to a thorough understanding of past climates because of the inherent links between the biogeochemistry of silicifiers and sequestration of organic carbon. Diatoms are one of the most important phytoplankton groups in determining export production from surface waters, and rely largely on upwelling deeper waters as a source of dissolved silicon, an essential nutrient for their growth. Quantification of changes in deep water dissolved silicon concentrations in the past allows a more robust understanding of changes in surface nutrient supply and whole-ocean silicon cycling, but cannot be achieved using surface-derived geochemical archives. In the last few years, there has been increasing focus on the use of geochemical archives in siliceous skeletal elements, or spicules, from seafloor-dwelling sponges to fill this gap. The stable silicon isotopic composition of spicules has been shown to be a function of ambient dissolved silicon, providing a potential archive for past changes in bottom water nutrients. However, biomineralisation processes impact silicon isotope fractionation and silica formed by atypical processes (derived from carnivorous sponges, hypersilicified spicules, and giant basal spicules) result in anomalous geochemical signatures. Furthermore, there is considerable scatter in the calibration between spicule silicon isotopes and dissolved silicon in seawater, even when the atypical groups have been removed. Here, we explore this variability further, by examining aggregation and assemblage-level differences in isotopic fractionation, using silicon isotopic measurements of specimens from two monospecific sponge groups (Pheronema carpenteri and Vazella pourtalesi), and one mixed-species population (genus Geodia) from the North Atlantic. Our new data reveal that variability within the monospecific aggregations is less than mixed-species assemblage, pointing towards a genetic control in isotopic fractionation. However, there is still variability ...

ABSTRACT The ocean plays a crucial role in the functioning of the Earth System and in the provision of vital goods and services. The United Nations (UN) declared 2021–2030 as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Roadmap for the Ocean Decade aims to achieve six critical societal outcomes (SOs) by 2030, through the pursuit of four objectives (Os). It specifically recognizes the scarcity of biological data for deep-sea biomes, and challenges the global scientific community to conduct research to advance understanding of deep-sea ecosystems to inform sustainable management. In this paper, we map four key scientific questions identified by the academic community to the Ocean Decade SOs: (i) What is the diversity of life in the deep ocean? (ii) How are populations and habitats connected? (iii) What is the role of living organisms in ecosystem function and service provision? and (iv) How do species, communities, and ecosystems respond to disturbance? We then consider the design of a global-scale program to address these questions by reviewing key drivers of ecological pattern and process. We recommend using the following criteria to stratify a global survey design: biogeographic region, depth, horizontal distance, substrate type, high and low climate hazard, fished/unfished, near/far from sources of pollution, licensed/protected from industry activities. We consider both spatial and temporal surveys, and emphasize new biological data collection that prioritizes southern and polar latitudes, deeper ( > 2000 m) depths, and midwater environments. We provide guidance on observational, experimental, and monitoring needs for different benthic and pelagic ecosystems. We then review recent efforts to standardize biological data and specimen collection and archiving, making "sampling design to knowledge application" recommendations in the context of a new global program. We also review and comment on needs, and recommend actions, to develop capacity in deep-sea research; and the role of inclusivity ...