Abstract
The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are two adjacent seamount chains off the west coast of South America that collectively contain more than 110 seamounts. The ridges support an exceptionally rich diversity of benthic and pelagic communities, with the highest level of endemism found in any marine environment. Despite some historical fishing in the region, the seamounts are relatively pristine and represent an excellent conservation opportunity to protect a global biodiversity hotspot before it is degraded. One obstacle to effective spatial management of the ridges is the scarcity of direct observations in deeper waters throughout the region and an accompanying understanding of the distribution of key taxa. Species distribution models are increasingly used tools to quantify the distributions of species in data-poor environments. Here, we focused on modeling the distribution of demosponges, glass sponges, and stony corals, three foundation taxa that support large assemblages of associated fauna through the creation of complex habitat structures. Models were constructed at a 1 km2 resolution using presence and pseudoabsence data, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, phosphate, silicate, aragonite saturation state, and several measures of seafloor topography. Highly suitable habitat for each taxa was predicted to occur throughout the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges, with the most suitable habitat occurring in small patches on large terrain features such as seamounts, guyots, ridges, and escarpments. Determining the spatial distribution of these three taxa is a critical first step towards supporting the improved spatial management of the region. While the total area of highly suitable habitat was small, our results showed that nearly all of the seamounts in this region provide suitable habitats for deep-water corals and sponges and should therefore be protected from exploitation using the best available conservation measures.
Highlights
The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are two adjacent seamount chains stretching more than 2,900 km off the coasts of Peru and Chile (Fig. 1).How to cite this article Georgian S, Morgan L, Wagner D. 2021
Overview In order to better inform the spatial management of fisheries and other human activities in the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges, we developed ensemble species distribution models for three taxa that are frequently classified as indicator taxa for vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) (e.g., Penney, Parker & Brown, 2009; Parker, Penney & Clark, 2009: demosponges, glass sponges, and stony corals)
The models show that only a small portion of the total study area contained moderately or highly suitable habitat, with the most suitable habitat clustered around topographic highs along the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges, the waters around the Juan Fernández Islands, and the Foundation Seamount Chain
Summary
The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are two adjacent seamount chains stretching more than 2,900 km off the coasts of Peru and Chile (Fig. 1) (reviewed in Wagner et al, 2021).How to cite this article Georgian S, Morgan L, Wagner D. 2021. The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are two adjacent seamount chains stretching more than 2,900 km off the coasts of Peru and Chile (Fig. 1) (reviewed in Wagner et al, 2021). The ridges contain more than 110 seamounts that were created between 2–27 million years ago by a geological hotspot located on the western edge of the Salas y Gómez Ridge (Parin, Mironov & Nesis, 1997; Steinberger, 2002). The waters surrounding the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges provide important feeding grounds and migratory pathways for an array of important species, including billfish, sharks, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals (Weichler et al, 2004; Shillinger et al, 2008; Yanez et al, 2009; Hucke-Gaete et al, 2014; CBD, 2017; Serratosa et al, 2020). On the seamounts and neighboring island habitats, diverse benthic communities form around
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
