The biodiversity of macrofaunal organisms in marine sediments

摘要: Marine sediments cover most of the ocean bottom, and organisms that reside in these therefore constitute largest faunal assemblage on Earth areal coverage. The biomass is dominated by macrofauna, a grouping invertebrate polychaetes, molluscs, crustaceans other phyla based size. Globally, only small portion marine habitats have been sampled for but areas led to global estimates macrofaunal species number ranging from 500,000 10,000,000. Most are undescribed, syntheses patterns individual taxa biodiversity few limited samples. significance ecosystem processes poorly understood, functional groups known carry out activities importance. Macrofaunal activity impacts carbon, nitrogen sulphur cycling, transport, burial metabolism pollutants, secondary production including commercial species, transport sediments. Documented extinctions macrofauna few, ramifications loss through habitat shrinkage undocumented unknown. Limited data suggest there substantial redundancy within trophic whether this sufficient allow without significantly altering Sorely needed experiments test specific hypotheses biodiversity, redundancy, as they relate macrofauna.