Testing deep-sea biodiversity paradigms on abyssal nematode genera and Acantholaimus species
Lins, L.; da Silva, M.C.; Neres, P.; Esteves, A.; Vanreusel, A. (2018). Testing deep-sea biodiversity paradigms on abyssal nematode genera and Acantholaimus species. Deep-Sea Res., Part II, Top. Stud. Oceanogr. 148: 208-222. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.12.005
In: Deep-Sea Research, Part II. Topical Studies in Oceanography. Pergamon: Oxford. ISSN 0967-0645; e-ISSN 1879-0100
Biodiversity patterns in the deep sea have been extensively studied in the last decades. In this study, we investigated whether reputable concepts in deep-sea ecology also explain diversity and distribution patterns of nematode genera and species in the abyss. Among them, three paradigms were tackled: (1) the deep sea is a highly diverse environment at a local scale, while on a regional and even larger geographical scale, species and genus turnover is limited; (2) the biodiversity of deep-sea nematode communities changes with the nature and amount of organic matter input from the surface; and (3) patch-mosaic dynamics of the deep-sea environment drive local diversity. To test these hypotheses, diversity and density of nematode assemblages and of species of the genus AcantholaimusAcantholaimus species, and by a generally low local diversity. Our results corroborate the species-energy hypothesis, where productivity can set a limit to the richness of an ecosystem. Finally, we observed no correlation between sediment variability and local diversity. Although differences in sediment variability were significant across stations, these had to be considered without effect on the nematode community structure in the studied abyssal areas.
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