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| Titel |
The importance of different spatial scales in determining structural and functional characteristics of deep-sea infauna communities |
| VerfasserIn |
J. Ingels, A. Vanreusel |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1726-4170
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Biogeosciences ; 10, no. 7 ; Nr. 10, no. 7 (2013-07-05), S.4547-4563 |
| Datensatznummer |
250018329
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/bg-10-4547-2013.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The urge to understand spatial distributions of species and communities and
their causative processes has continuously instigated the development and
testing of conceptual models in spatial ecology. For the deep sea, there is
evidence that structural and functional characteristics of benthic
communities are regulated by a multitude of biotic and environmental
processes that act in concert on different spatial scales, but the spatial
patterns are poorly understood compared to those for terrestrial ecosystems.
Deep-sea studies generally focus on very limited scale ranges, thereby
impairing our understanding of which spatial scales and associated processes
are most important in driving structural and functional diversity of
communities. Here, we used an extensive integrated dataset of free-living
nematodes from deep-sea sediments to unravel the importance of different
spatial scales in determining benthic infauna communities. Multiple-factor
multivariate permutational analyses were performed on different sets of
community descriptors (structure, structural and functional diversity,
standing stock). The different spatial scales investigated cover two margins
in the northeast Atlantic, several submarine canyons/channel/slope areas, a
bathymetrical range of 700–4300 m, different sampling locations at each
station, and vertical sediment profiles. The results indicated that the most
important spatial scale for structural and functional diversity and standing
stock variability is the smallest one; infauna communities changed
substantially more with differences between sediment depth layers than with
differences associated to larger geographical or bathymetrical scales.
Community structure differences were greatest between stations at both
margins. Important regulating ecosystem processes and the scale on which they
occur are discussed. The results imply that, if we are to improve our
understanding of ecosystem patterns of deep-sea infauna and the relevant
processes driving their structure, structural and functional diversity, and
standing stock, we must pay particular attention to the small-scale
heterogeneity or patchiness and the causative mechanisms acting on that
scale. |
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