Abstract
Abstract. Cold-water coral (CWC) reefs are heterogeneous ecosystems comprising numerous microhabitats. A typical European CWC reef provides various biogenic microhabitats (within, on and surrounding colonies of coral species such as Lophelia pertusa, Paragorgia arborea and Primnoa resedaeformis, or formed by their remains after death). These microhabitats may be surrounded and intermixed with non-biogenic microhabitats (soft sediment, hard ground, gravel/pebbles, steep walls). To date, studies of distribution of sessile fauna across CWC reefs have been more numerous than those investigating mobile fauna distribution. In this study we quantified shrimp densities associated with key CWC microhabitat categories at the Røst Reef, Norway, by analysing image data collected by towed video sled in June 2007. We also investigated shrimp distribution patterns on the local scale (<40 cm) and how these may vary with microhabitat. Shrimp abundances at the Røst Reef were on average an order of magnitude greater in biogenic reef microhabitats than in non-biogenic microhabitats. Greatest shrimp densities were observed in association with live Paragorgia arborea microhabitat (43 shrimp m−2, SD = 35.5), live Primnoa resedaeformis microhabitat (41.6 shrimp m−2, SD = 26.1) and live Lophelia pertusa microhabitat (24.4 shrimp m−2, SD = 18.6). In non-biogenic microhabitat, shrimp densities were <2 shrimp m−2. CWC reef microhabitats appear to support greater shrimp densities than the surrounding non-biogenic microhabitats at the Røst Reef, at least at the time of survey.
Highlights
GeoscientificModel DevelopmentM tats (within, on and surrounding colonies of coral species Cold-water coral (CWC) ecosystems have been subject to such as Lophelia pertusa, Paragorgia arborea and Prim- much study throughout the last decade (Fossaet al., 2002; noa resedaeformis, or formed by their remains after death)
The high ω2 indicates that the microhabitat category has a large effect on shrimp abundance at the Røst Reef
Bonferroni post hoc tests indicated that shrimp abundances were significantly higher in images containing predominantly live coral (n = 378, mean = 25, SD = 19.4) than in images containing mainly dead coral structure (n = 779, mean = 8.7, SD = 7.8), coral rubble (n = 699, mean = 1.45, SD = 2.5) or non-biogenic microhabitat categories (n = 1678, mean = 0.6, SD = 1.8) (p < 0.01)
Summary
M tats (within, on and surrounding colonies of coral species Cold-water coral (CWC) ecosystems have been subject to such as Lophelia pertusa, Paragorgia arborea and Prim- much study throughout the last decade (Fossaet al., 2002; noa resedaeformis, or formed by their remains after death). These microhabitats may be surrounded and intermixed with. In this study we quantified shrimp densities associated In European waters, Lophelia pertusa, Fig. 1(Fossaet al., with key CWC microhabitat categories at the Røst Reef, Norway, by analysing image data collected by towed video sled.
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