Seamount science scales undersea mountains: new research and outlook

摘要: Conventional wisdom suggests that seamounts harbour high levels of biodiversity and endemism, play important roles in marine biogeography, are hotspots biological carbon processing, support substantial fisheries. However, since fewer than 300 have been thoroughly sampled, these generalizations remain largely untested. This has provided the motivation for a number seamount-focused research projects recent years, including CenSeam, field project within Census Marine Life. issue presents some output facilitated by CenSeam. Here we summarize main findings provide precis future directions highlighted contributors to issue. Recent studies show can comparable benthic diversity endemism continental margins, but their communities also include distinct composition species attain higher biomass. Reported geographic differentiation among seamount limited larval dispersal, local speciation, isolation, or combination processes. Genetic contained address themes explicitly, documenting complex patterns connectivity depend on spatial scale life history characteristics. Globally, ecosystems under pressure from bottom-contact fishing ocean acidification. Contributions detailing footprint trawling risk assessment confirm what long suspected: highly vulnerable disturbance bottom recovery impacts is lengthy process, likely requiring decades at minimum. A predicted shallowing aragonite saturation horizon caused acidification place deep-water corals risk, may yet spatial/chemical refuge impacts. The concludes with ‘myth-buster’ synthesis updates status various ecological paradigms.