The First Data on the Structure of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems of the Emperor Chain Seamounts: Indicator Taxa, Landscapes, and Biogeography

Abstract

The first comprehensive study of the deep-sea ecosystems of the Emperor Chain seamounts (the northwestern Pacific Ocean) was conducted in July–August 2019 by A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, FEB RAS. The expedition, using a remote-operated underwater vehicle Comanche 18, was aimed at the study of distribution of typical underwater landscapes and key taxa of Octocorallia corals and Hexactinellida sponges in the vulnerable marine ecosystem of the seamounts. New data on the macrobenthos biodiversity and biogeographic characteristics of deep-sea corals and sponges, which are the dominant animals in the studied area, are presented. The survey has shown changes of the coral fauna in the latitudinal direction and obtained new data on the biogeographic boundary in the area of the Emperor Chain seamounts.