Collection

Biodiversity in Abyssal Polymetallic Nodule Areas

Submission status
Closed
Polymetallic Nodule Areas located at abyssal depths globally are characterized by the presence of ‘manganese nodules’ on the sediment surface. The nodules contain metals such as cobalt, nickel and copper and are therefore important as a future potential source to supply the demand for these metals at a global scale. However, little is known about the actual species composition, the distribution ranges or the genetic connectivity of abyssal populations. In addition, a very high proportion of the species present in nodule areas are new to science. The present topical collection “Biodiversity in Abyssal Polymetallic Nodule Areas” aims at improving knowledge of abyssal biodiversity from these regions at a time, when deep-sea mining has not yet started and thus the abyssal habitats are largely undisturbed. This topical collection will accept contributions on taxonomic revisions and species descriptions using an integrative approach (morphology & barcoding), genetic connectivity, distribution and biogeography of abyssal polymetallic nodule communities. Contributions on potential mining effects on the biota and their recovery potential after mining as well as methodological studies for ecological surveying in the frame of mining impact are also welcomed. Authors are encouraged to include identification keys to taxa from the region to aid in identification as part of exploratory surveys and monitoring.

Editors

  • Stefanie Kaiser Stefanie Kaiser , 

    Stefanie Kaiser

    Stefanie Kaiser is a deep-sea biologist currently working as a postdoc at the University of Lodz (Poland). She received her PhD from the University of Hamburg (Germany) in 2009. She is particularly interested in assessing and understanding the ecological drivers of deep-sea biodiversity with a special focus on benthic isopods. Since 2012 she has been actively involved in a number of projects to study the responses of fauna to the effects of deep-sea mining, and here especially those related to the extraction of polymetallic nodules in the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ).

  • Tammy Horton Tammy Horton  &

    Tammy Horton

    Tammy Horton is a Research Scientist at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton and an expert in deep-sea taxonomy, ecology and biodiversity. She is well known for her taxonomic work and her contributions to the understanding of the diversity and ecology of deep-sea ecosystems. Dr Horton is the curator and manager of the Discovery Collections, a unique collection of more than 70,000 deep-sea samples and specimens. Tammy is the Chair of the Steering Committee of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), and she coordinates the World Amphipoda Database (WAD) and the World Register of Deep-Sea Species (WoRDSS).

  • Nuria Sánchez Nuria Sánchez

    Nuria Sánchez

    Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain

Articles (15 in this collection)