Biodiversity assessment and management of ecosystems from the coastal zone to the high seas and deep sea

Human pressures now extend to the high seas and deep oceans which are hosting the least explored areas on the planet assumed to be the largest reservoirs of biodiversity and mineral resources. Global changes and environmental impacts affect all marine organisms from phytoplankton to higher marine vertebrates and all oceanic processes. There is an urgent need to adopt new approaches, integrated, ecosystemic in content and precautionary and anticipatory in ambit, for management and development at global levels, a tridimensional marine spatial management not only for seabed mining, but for fisheries management, waste disposal, carbon sequestration and other human activities. In order to define the proper reference areas and monitoring system, the methodology for the ecosystem-based management of deep sea areas focuses on different types of activities and support decision-making processes by managers. This methodology is based on knowledge of bio-physical aspects, the selection of a set of ecological indicators and the use of classical and innovative tools, including modeling (including eco-hydrodynamics) and predictive scenarios. It bridges the gap between detailed/quantitative and qualitative assessments of marine systems and management requirements. Environmental assessment and habitat mapping is needed to provide research and resource managers with the state over time and space of natural resources and habitats in order to adapt specific measures, regulations and practices to preserve the environment and minimize impacts of anthropic activities.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Action plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemo-synthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea (Dark Habitats action plan)

Dark habitats are environments where the luminosity is extremely weak, or even absent (aphotic area) leading to an absence of macroscopic autochthonous photosynthesis. The bathymetric extension of this lightless area depends to a great extent on the turbidity of the water and corresponds to benthic and pelagic habitats starting from the deep circa-littoral. Caves which show environmental conditions that favour the installation on of organisms characteristic of dark habitats, are also taken into account. Dark habitats are dependent on very diverse geomorphological structures (e.g. underwater caves, canyons, slopes, isolated rocks, abyssal plains, cold seeps, brine anoxic lakes, hydrothermal springs and seamounts). Dark habitats represent outstanding and potential ecosystems with regard to their: Frailty and vulnerability to any land-based pressure Play an important part in the way the Mediterranean ecosystem functions, insofar as they constitute the main route for transferring matter between the coast and the deep sea Considered as biodiversity hotspots and recruiting areas forming a veritable reservoirs of knowledge and biodiversity Natural habitats that come under Habitat Directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora and appear as such as priority habitats requiring protection (Directive 92/43). A certain number of underwater caves enjoy protection status because they fall within the geographical boundaries of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Understanding of these functions is necessary for a better understanding and management of the biodiversity of Mediterranean coastal zones and continental shelf.peer-reviewe

Microbiology and Nitrogen Cycle in the Benthic Sediments of a Glacial Oligotrophic Deep Andean Lake as Analog of Ancient Martian Lake-Beds

Potential benthic habitats of early Mars lakes, probably oligotrophic, could range from hydrothermal to cold sediments. Dynamic processes in the water column (such as turbidity or UV penetration) as well as in the benthic bed (temperature gradients, turbation, or sedimentation rate) contribute to supply nutrients to a potential microbial ecosystem. High altitude, oligotrophic, and deep Andean lakes with active deglaciation processes and recent or past volcanic activity are natural models to assess the feasibility of life in other planetary lake/ocean environments and to develop technology for their exploration. We sampled the benthic sediments (down to 269 m depth) of the oligotrophic lake Laguna Negra (Central Andes, Chile) to investigate its ecosystem through geochemical, biomarker profiling, and molecular ecology studies. The chemistry of the benthic water was similar to the rest of the water column, except for variable amounts of ammonium (up to 2.8 ppm) and nitrate (up to 0.13 ppm). A life detector chip with a 300-antibody microarray revealed the presence of biomass in the form of exopolysaccharides and other microbial markers associated to several phylogenetic groups and potential microaerobic and anaerobic metabolisms such as nitrate reduction. DNA analyses showed that 27% of the Archaea sequences corresponded to a group of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) similar (97%) to Nitrosopumilus spp. and Nitrosoarchaeum spp. (Thaumarchaeota), and 4% of Bacteria sequences to nitrite-oxidizing bacteria from the Nitrospira genus, suggesting a coupling between ammonia and nitrite oxidation. Mesocosm experiments with the specific AOA inhibitor 2-Phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (PTIO) demonstrated an AOA-associated ammonia oxidation activity with the simultaneous accumulation of nitrate and sulfate. The results showed a rich benthic microbial community dominated by microaerobic and anaerobic metabolisms thriving under aphotic, low temperature (4°C), and relatively high pressure, that might be a suitable terrestrial analog of other planetary settings

A test in a high altitude lake of a multi-parametric rapid methodology for assessing life in liquid environments on planetary bodies: A potential new freshwater polychaete Tubeworm community

On our planet, aqueous environments such as deep sea or high-altitude aphotic lakes, subject to present or past volcanic activity and active deglaciation, may provide analogs to the aqueous environments found on such planetary bodies as Europa, Titan or Enceladus. We report here on the methodologies and technologies tested in Laguna Negra, a high altitude lake in the Central Andes, Chile, for exploring and assessing the presence of life within planetary lakes or interior oceans. We adopted a multi-parametric Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) approach centered around collecting video imagery (by an Underwater Imaging System) and sampling benthic sediments (for sedimentological, biological and geochemical analysis) to depths of 272 m, to complement physico-chemical sampling of the water column and collection of shallow sediments for microbiological analysis (reported in separate publications). This enabled us to classify and assess the apparent status of benthic habitats, based on substrata and environmental characteristics, together with floral and faunal community characteristics and bioturbation artifacts. Video imagery showed that the lower water column was characterized by a variably intense sestonic flux of particles and debris, among which were planktonic organisms such as ostracods, copepods, and possibly cladocerans. Sediment analysis revealed at all depths abundant diatom frustules, mainly of an acidophile pennade diatom Pinnularia acidicola, amid vegetal debris likely originating from littoral macrophytes. Video imagery showed that the lakebed was partly covered by microbial mats and depositional matter and harbored an unexpectedly rich assortment of macrofauna, including sponges, tubificid worms, flatworms, bivalves and crustaceans. Various forms of bioturbation were also encountered, some with the animals in the tracks. Most notably, at the deepest site, a previously undescribed faunal feature was evident, apparently formed by a mat-like community of several layers of what appeared to be polychaete tubeworms, possibly of the family Siboglinidae. It is hypothesized that the hydrothermal activity observed in the region may supply the compounds able to support the deep-water microrganisms from which such tubeworms typically gain sustenance. Such processes could be present on other deep and aphotic liquid-water-bearing planetary bodies

The Benthic Megafaunal Assemblages of the CCZ (Eastern Pacific) and an Approach to their Management in the Face of Threatened Anthropogenic Impacts

We present here the results of a UNESCO/IOC baseline study of the megafaunal assemblages of the polymetallic nodule ecosystem of 5 areas within the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the eastern Pacific Ocean. The work was undertaken with a view to investigating the structure of the epifaunal populations associated with the benthic biotopes being targeted for nodule mining and developing an appropriate set of management tools and options. The general characteristics of nodule ecosystem and assemblages and their sensitivity to deep-sea mining are discussed in relation to water masses, surface to seabed water circulation, the nepheloid layer and processes taking place at the sediment interface. Management tools considered include species diversity and vulnerability indexes, GIS systems, zoning, and 3D rapid environmental assessment (REA). These strategies are proposed for trial during pilot mining operations within the CCZ

Corrigendum: The Benthic Megafaunal Assemblages of the CCZ (Eastern Pacific) and an Approach to their Management in the Face of Threatened Anthropogenic Impacts

We present here the results of a UNESCO/IOC baseline study of the megafaunal assemblages of the polymetallic nodule ecosystem of 5 areas within the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the eastern Pacific Ocean. The work was undertaken with a view to investigating the structure of the epifaunal populations associated with the benthic biotopes being targeted for nodule mining and developing an appropriate set of management tools and options. The general characteristics of nodule ecosystem and assemblages and their sensitivity to deep-sea mining are discussed in relation to water masses, surface to seabed water circulation, the nepheloid layer and processes taking place at the sediment interface. Management tools considered include species diversity and vulnerability indexes, GIS systems, zoning, and 3D rapid environmental assessment (REA). These strategies are proposed for trial during pilot mining operations within the CCZ

Effets de la temp rature et de la photop riode sur la gam togen(se et les comportements reproducteurs de Lepomis gibbosus (Pisces,Centrarchidae)

SIGLEBSE B226153S / UCL - Université Catholique de LouvainBEBelgiu

Traditional Dimensions of Seabed Resource Management in the Context of Deep Sea Mining in the Pacific: Learning From the Socio-Ecological Interconnectivity Between Island Communities and the Ocean Realm

In many of the Pacific Islands, local communities have long-held cultural and spiritual attachments to the sea, in particular to species and specific marine areas, processes, habitats, islands, and natural seabed formations. Traditional knowledge, customary marine management approaches and integrated relationships between biodiversity, ecosystems and local communities promote conservation and ensure that marine benefits are reaped in a holistic, sustainable and equitable manner. However, the interaction between local traditional knowledge, contemporary scientific approaches to marine resource management and specific regulatory frameworks has often been challenging. To some extent, the value of community practices and customary law, which have provided an incentive for regional cooperation and coordination around ocean governance, is acknowledged in several legal systems in the Pacific and a number of regional and international instruments, but this important connection can be further enhanced. In this article we present a science-based overview of the marine habitats that would be affected by deep seabed mining (DSM) along with an analysis of some traditional dimensions and cultural/societal aspects of marine resource management. We then assess whether the applicable legal frameworks at different levels attach sufficient importance to these traditional dimensions and to the human and societal aspects of seabed (mineral) resource management in the region. On the basis of this analysis, we identify best practices and formulate recommendations with regard to the current regulatory frameworks and seabed resource management approaches. Indeed, the policies and practices developed in the Pacific could well serve as a suitable model elsewhere to reconcile commercial, ecological, cultural and social values within the context of deep sea mineral exploitation in addition to sustaining the Human Well-being and Sustainable Livelihoods (HWSL) of the Pacific communities and the health of the Global Ocean.publishedVersio