Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Unjustifiably Ignored: Reflections on the Role of Benthos in Marine Ecosystems

  • Chapter
Biogeochemical Cycling and Sediment Ecology

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASEN2,volume 59))

Abstract

The benthos is not highly regarded by most marine biologists. As a consequence, the in the past most funds have gone into pelagic research, despite the fact that the marine benthos has several properties which render its investigation particularly rewarding. It is far richer in species than is the water column. In addition due to the comparatively low mobility and longevity of many organisms which gives relative persistent assemblages, the behtos is far more suited for monitoring environmental conditions than the ephemeral associations that characterize a certain water body. However, on the rare occasions that benthic research was included in major international programmes, this was usually justified by the role as a temporary or final store for material sedimenting from the water column.

While the authors recognise that the connection with the pelagial (“pelago-benthic coupling”) may indeed be one of the key facets of benthic research, they would like to stress that this is not simply a one-way interaction and the benthos influences pelagic processes in many ways. Furthermore, benthic processes have intrinsic values that go much beyond the value as a resource for human use or as a monitoring target for pollution. The study of marine benthos has contributed greatly to the development of ecological theory, e.g. to the definition of “stability” and the factors that may cause or prevent it.

The authors make use of their experiences in various marine ecosystems to illustrate their belief that benthic research is essential for understanding marine ecology, and should be given more attention-and improved funding!

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Margalef, R. (1978) General concepts of population dynamics and food links, in O. Kinne (ed.), Marine Ecology, Vol. IV. John Wiley, pp. 617–704.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Paine, R.T. (1994) Marine rocky shores and community ecology: an experimentalist’s perspective. Excellence in Ecology 4, Ecology Institute Oldendorf/Luhe

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bonsdorff, E. and Blomqvist, E.M. (1993) Biotic coupling on shallow water soft bottoms — Examples from the Northern Baltic Sea. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 31, 153–176.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Josefson, A.B., Jensen, J.N. and Aertebjerg, G. (1993) The benthos community structure anomaly in the late 1970s and early 1980s — a result of a major food pulse? J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 172, 31–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Margalef, R. (1997) Our biosphere. Excellence in Ecology 10, Ecology Institute Oldendorf/Luhe.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Margalef, R. (1979) The organization of space. Oikos 33, 152–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Shelford, V.E. (1963) The ecology of North America. University of Illinois Press.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Leonard, A.B. (1989) Functional response in Antedon mediterranea (Lamarck) (Echinodermata: Crinoidea): the interaction of prey concentration and current velocity on a passive suspension feeder. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 127, 81–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Gaino, E., Bavestrello, E., Cattaneo-Vetti, R. and Sarà, M. (1994) Scanning electron microscope evidence for diatom uptake by two Antarctic sponges. Polar Biol. 14, 55–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Riisgård, H.U. (1991) Suspension feeding in the polychaete Nereis diversicolor. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 70, 29–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Coma, R., Gili, J.M., Zabala, M. and Riera, T. (1994) Heterotrophic feeding and prey capture in a Mediterranean gorgonian. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 115, 257–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Fabricius, K.E., Benayahu, Y. and Genin, A. (1995) Herbivory in asymbiotic soft corals supports unusally high growth rates. Science 268, 90 f.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Klumpp, D.W. (1984) Nutritional ecology of the ascidian Pyura stolonifera: influence of body size, food quantity and quality on filter-feeding, respiration, assimilation efficiency and energy balance. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 19, 269–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Asmus, R.M. and Asmus, H. (1991) Mussel beds: limiting or promoting phyto-plankton? J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 148: 215–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Coma, R., Gili, J.M. and Zabala, M. (1995) Trophic ecology of a marine benthic hydroid. Mar. Ecol Prog. Ser. 119, 211–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Lehman, J.T. (1976) The filter-feeder as an optimal forager, and the predicted shapes of feeding curves. Limnol. Oceanogr. 21, 501–516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Hughes, R.N. (1980) Optimal foraging theory in the marine context Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 18, 423–481.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Okamura, B. (1990) Behavioural plasticity in the suspension feeding of benthic animals, in: R.N. Hughes (ed), Behavioural mechanisms of food selection, NATO ASI ser., pp. 637–660.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Riisgård, H.U. and Larsen, P.S. (1995) Filter-feeding in marine macro-invertebrates: pump characteristics, modelling and energy cost. Biol. Rev. 70, 67–106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Stephens, D.W. and Krebbs, J.R. (1986) Foraging theory. Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Graf, G. and Rosenberg, R. (1997) Bioresuspension and biodeposition: a review. J. Mar. Systems 11, 269–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Graf, G. (1987) Benthic energy flow during a simulated autumn bloom sedimentation. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 39, 23–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Huettel, M., Ziebis, W. and Forster, S. (1996) Flow-induced uptake of particulate matter in permeable sediments. Limnol. Oceanogr. 41, 309–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Ziebis, W., Forster, S., Huettel, M. and Jørgensen, B.B. (1996) Complex burrows of the mud shrimp Callianassa truncata and their geochemical impact in the sea bed. Nature 382, 619–622.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Friedrichs, M. (1996) Auswirkungen von Polychaeten-röhren auf die Wasser-Sediment-Grenzschicht. Dipl. Thesis Univ. Kie

    Google Scholar 

  26. Dame, R., Zingmark, R., Stevenson, R. and Nelson, D. (1980) Filter feeder coupling between the estuarine water column and benthic subsystems, in V.S. Kennedy (ed), Estuarine perspectives. Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 521–526.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Cloern, J.E. (1982) Does the benthos control phytoplankton biomass in South San Francisco Bay? Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 9, 191–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Officer, C. B., Smayda, T.J. and Mann, R. (1982) Benthic filter feeding: A natural eutrophication control. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 9, 203–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Hily, C. (1991) Is the activity of benthic suspension feeders a factor controlling water quality in the Bay of Brest? Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 69, 179–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. O’Riordan, C.A., Monismith, S.G. and Koseff, J.R. (1995) The bed hydrodynamics on model bivalve filtration rates. Arch. Hydrobiol. Spec. Issues Adv. Limnol. 47, 247–254.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Kühne, S. (1997) Solitäre Ascidien in der Potter Cove (King George Island, Antarktis). Ihre ökologische Bedeutung und Populationsdynamik. Ber. Polarforsch. 252, 153 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Gili, J-M. and Hughes, R. G. (1995) The ecology of marine benthic hydroids. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 33, 353–426.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Gili, J.M., Alvà, V., Coma, R., Orejas, C., Pagès, F., Ribes, M., Zabala, M., Amtz, W., Bouillon, J., Boero, F. and Hughes, R.G. (1998). The impact of small benthic passive suspension feeders in shallow marine ecosystems: the hydroids as an example. Zool. Verh. Leiden 323, 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Valiela, I.(1995) Marine ecological processes. Springer-Verlag, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Jørgensen, C.B. (1990) Bivalve filter feeding: Hydrodynamics, bioenergetics, physiology and ecology. Olsen & Olsen, Fredensborg.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Jørgensen, C.B., Kiørboe, T., Møhlenberg, F. and Riisgård, H.U. (1984) Ciliary and mucus net filter feeding with special reference to fluid mechanical characteristics. Mar. Ecol. Prog Ser. 15 283–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Pile, A.J., Patterson, M.R. and Witman, J.D. (1996) In situ grazing on plankton <10 μm by the boreal sponge Mycale lingua. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 141, 95–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Ribes, M., Coma, R. and Gili, J.M. (in press) Heterotrophic feeding in symbiotic gorgonian corals. Limnol. Oceanogr.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Gili, J-M. and Coma, R. (1998) Benthic suspension feeders: Their paramount role in littoral marine food webs. Trends Ecol. Evol. 13, 316–321.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Gasol, J.M., del Giorgio, P.A. and Duarte, C. (1997) Biomass distribution in marine planktonic communities. Limnol. Oceanogr. 42, 1353–1363.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Alvà, V., Orejas, C., and Zabala, M. (1997) Feeding ecology of Antarctic cnidarian suspension feeders (Hydrozoa, Gorgonacea, Pennatulacea), in W.E. Arntz and J. Gutt (eds), The expedition Antarktis XIII/3 (EASIZ I) of RV “Polarstern” to the eastern Weddell Sea in 1996. Ber. Polarforsch. 249, 14–16.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Barthel, D. (1997) Presence of fluff in an Antarctic shelf trough, at 600 m depth, in W.E. Arntz and J. Gutt (eds), The expedition Antarktis XIII/3 (EASIZ I) of RV “Polarstern” to the eastern Weddell Sea in 1996. Ber. Polarforsch. 249, 16 f.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Barnes, D.K.A. and Clarke, A. (1995) Seasonality of feeding activity in Antarctic suspension feeders. Polar Biol. 15, 335–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Clarke, A. and Leakey, R.J.G. (1996) The seasonal cycle of phytoplankton, macronutrients, and the microbial community in a nearshore Antarctic marine ecosystem. Limnol. Oceanogr. 41, 1281–1294.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Arntz, W.E. and Fahrbach, E. (1991) El Niño-Klimaexperiment der Natur. Birkhäuser, Basel, pp. 264.

    Google Scholar 

  46. Olsgard, F., (1993) Do toxic algal blooms affect subtidal soft-bottom communities? Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 102, 269–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Rosenberg, R., Linddahl, O. and Blanck, H. (1988) Silent spring in the sea. Ambio 17, 289 f.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Graf, G. (1992) Benthic-pelagic coupling: A benthic view. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 30, 149–190.

    Google Scholar 

  49. Greene, C.H., Wiebe, P.H., Burczynski, J. and Youngbluth, M.J. (1992) Acoustical detection of high-density demersal krill layers in the submarine canyons off Georges Bank. Science 241, 359–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Vetter, E.W. (1995) Detritus-based patches of high secondary production in the nearshore benthos. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 120, 251–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Hickey, B.M. (1995) Coastal submarine canyons, in P. Müller and D. Henderson (eds), Topographic effects in the Ocean. SOEST Special Publication, University of Hawaii, Manoa, pp. 95–110.

    Google Scholar 

  52. Lewin, R.(1986) Supply-side ecology. Science 234, 25–27.

    Google Scholar 

  53. Boero F., Belmonte, G., Fanelli, G., Piraino, S. and Rubino, F. (1996) The continuity of living matter and the discontinuities of its constituents: do plankton and benthos really NOT FULL REFERNCE

    Google Scholar 

  54. Sorokin, Y.I. (1995) Coral reef ecology. Springer, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  55. Rosenberg, R., Arntz, W.E., Chumán de Flores, E., Carbajal, G., Finger, I. and Tarazona, J. (1983) Benthic biomass and oxygen deficiency in the upwelling system off Peru. J. Mar. Res. 41, 263–279.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Fossing, H., Gallardo, V.A., Jørgensen, B.B., Hüttel, M., Nielsen, L.P., Schulz, H., Canfield, D.E., Forster, S., Glud, R.N., Gundersen, J.K., Küver, J., Ramsing, N.B., Teske, A., Thamdrup, B. and Ulloa, O (1995) Concentration and transport of nitrate by the mat-forming sulphur bacterium Thioploca. Nature 374, 713–715.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  57. Tarazona, J., Arntz, W.E. and Canahuire, E. (1996) Impact of two “El Niño” events of different intensity on the hypoxic soft bottom macrobenthos off the central Peruvian coast. Mar. Ecol. 17, 425–446.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  58. Amtz, W.E., Valdivia, E. and Zeballos, J. (1988) Impact of El Niño 1982–83 on the commercially exploited invertebrates (mariscos) of the Peruvian shore. Meeresforsch. 32, 3–22.

    Google Scholar 

  59. Sibert, J.R. (1981) Intertidal hyperbenthic populations in the Nanaimo estuary. Mar. Biol. 64, 259–265.

    Google Scholar 

  60. Buhl-Jensen, L. and Fosså, J.H. (1991) Hyperbenthic crustacean fauna of the Gullmarfjord area (western Sweden): species richness, seasonal variation and long-term changes. Mar. Biol. 109, 245–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  61. Chevrier, A., Brunei, P. and Wildish, D.J. (1991) Structure of a suprabenthic shelf-community of gammaridean Amphipoda in the Bay of Fundy compared with similar sub-communities in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Hydrobiologia 223, 81–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Dauvin, J.-C. and Zouhiri, S. (1996) Suprabenthic crustacean fauna of a dense Ampelisca community from the English Channel. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 76, 909–929.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Brandt, A. (1997) Abundance, diversity and community patterns of epibenthic-and benthic-boundary layer peracarid crustaceans ar 75° N off East Greenland. Polar Biol. 17, 159–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Gutt, J. and Siegel, V. (1994) Observations on benthopelagic aggregations of krill (Euphausia superba) on the deeper shelf of the southeastern Wedell Sea. Deep-Sea Res. 41, 169–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. Giangrande, A., Geraci, S. and Belmonte, G. (1994) Life-cycle and life-history diversity in marine invertebrates and the implications in community dynamics. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 32, 305–333.

    Google Scholar 

  66. Thorson, G. (1936) The larval development, growth, and metabolism of Arctic marine bottom invertebrates compared with those of other seas. Medd. Grönland 100(6), 1–155.

    Google Scholar 

  67. Mileikowsky, S.A. (1971) Types of larval development in marine bottom invertebrates, their distribution and ecological significance: a re-evaluation. Mar. Biol. 10, 193–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. Pearse, J.S., McClintock, J.B. and Bosch, I. (1991) Reproduction of Antarctic benthic marine invertebrates: tempos, modes and timing. Amer. Zoologist 31, 65–80.

    Google Scholar 

  69. Arntz, W.E., Brey, T. and Gallardo, V.A. (1994) Antarctic zoobenthos. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 32, 241–304.

    Google Scholar 

  70. Pearse, J.S. (1994) Cold-water echinoderms break “Thorson’s rule”, in C.M. Young and K.J. Eckelbarger (eds), Reproduction, larval biology, and recruitment of the deep-sea benthos. Columbia Univ. Press, New York, pp.26–39.

    Google Scholar 

  71. Schlüter, M. (1998) Die räumliche und zeitliche Verteilung des Meroplanktons (Larven des Evertebraten-Benthos) in der zentralen Barentssee. Dipl. Thesis, Univ. Bremen.

    Google Scholar 

  72. Gieskes, W.W.C. and C. Veth (1987) Secchi disc world record shattered. EOS 68, 123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  73. Arnaud, P.M. (1970) Frequency and ecological significance of necrophagy among the benthic species of Antarctic coastal waters, in M.W. Holdgate (ed), Antarctic ecology, Vol.1. Academic Press, London, pp. 259–267.

    Google Scholar 

  74. Grassle, J.F. (1977) Slow recolonization of deep-sea sediment. Nature 265, 618 f.

    Google Scholar 

  75. Grassle, J.F. (1980) In situ studies of deep-sea communities, in F.P. Diemer, F.J. Vemberg and D.Z. Mirkes (eds), Advanced concepts in ocean measurements for marine biology. The Belle Baruch Library in Marine Science 10, 321–331.

    Google Scholar 

  76. Lipps, J.H. and Hickman, C.S. (1982) Origin, age, and evolution of Antarctic and deep-sea faunas, in W.G. Ernst and J.G. Morin (eds), The environment of the deep sea. Prentice-Hall, Eaglewood Cliffs, pp. 324–356.

    Google Scholar 

  77. Turner, R. (1973) Wood-boring bivalves, opportunistic species in the deep sea. Science 180, 1377–1379.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  78. Dayton, P.K. (1989) Interdecadal variation in an Antarctic sponge and its predators from oceanographic climate shifts. Science 245, 1484–1486.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  79. Rauschert, M. (1990) Ergebnisse der faunistischen Arbeiten im Benthal von King George Island (Südshetlandinseln, Antarktis). Ber. Polarforsch. 76, 1–75.

    Google Scholar 

  80. Wägele, J.W. (1987) On the reproductive biology of Ceratoserolis trilobitoides (Crustacea: Isopoda): latitudinal variation of fecundity and embryonic development. Polar Biol. 7, 11–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  81. Gorny, M., Arntz, W.E., Clarke, A. and Gore, D.J. (1992) Reproductive biology of caridean decapods from the Weddell Sea. Polar Biol. 12, 111–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  82. Arntz, WE., Brey, T., Gerdes, D., Gorny, M., Gutt, J., Hain, S. and Klages, M. (1992) Patterns of life history and population dynamics of benthic invertebrates under the high Antarctic conditions of the Weddell Sea, in G. Colombo, I. Ferrari, V.U. Ceccherelli and R. Rossi (eds), Marine eutrophication and population dynamics. Olsen & Olsen, Fredensborg, pp. 221–230.

    Google Scholar 

  83. Hulberg, L.W. and Oliver, J.S. (1980) Caging manipulations in marine soft-bottom communities: importance of animal interactions or sedimentary habitat modifications. Can. J. Fish. Aquatic Sci. 37, 1130–1139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  84. Dayton, P.K., Robilliard, G.A., Paine, R.T. and Dayton, L.B. (1974) Biological accommodation in the benthic community at McMurdo Sound. Ecol. Monogr. 44, 105–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  85. Grassle, J.F. and Morse-Porteous, L. (1987) Macrofaunal colonization of disturbed deep-sea environments and the structure of deep-sea benthic communities. Deep-Sea Res. 34, 1911–1950.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  86. Rhoads, D.C. and Young, D.K. (1970) The influence of deposit-feeding organisms on sediment stability and community trophic structure. J. Mar. Res. 28, 150–178.

    Google Scholar 

  87. Connell, J.H. and Slatyer, R.O. (1977) Mechanisms of succession in natural com-munities and their role in community stability and organization. Am. Nat. 111, 1119–1144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  88. Gray, J.S. (1981) The ecology of marine sediments. An introduction to the structure and function of benthic communities. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  89. Levin, L.A. (1982) Interference interactions among tube-building polychaetes in a dense infaunal assemblage. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 65, 107–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  90. Reise, K. (1985) Tidal flat ecology. Ecological Studies 54, Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  91. Whitlatch, R.B. and Zajac, R.N. (1985) Biotic interactions among estuarine infaunal opportunistic species. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 21, 299–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  92. Chapman, A.R.O. (1986) Population and community ecology of seaweeds. Advances in Marine Biology 23, 1–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  93. Ambrose, W.G. (1991) Are infaunal predators important in structuring marine soft-bottom communities? Amer. Zool. 31, 849–860.

    Google Scholar 

  94. Porter, J.W. and Targett, N.M. (1988) Allelochemical interactions between sponges and corals. Biol. Bull. 175, 230–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  95. Jackson, J.B.C. and Buss, L. (1975) Allelopathy and spatial competition among coral reef invertebrates. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 72, 5160–5163.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  96. Uriz, M.J., Turon, X., Becerro, M.A., Galera, J. and Lozano, J. (1995) Patterns of resource allocation to somatic, defensive, and reproductive functions in the Mediterranean encrusting sponge Crambe crambe (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 124, 159–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  97. Tilman, D. (1990) Constraints and tradeoffs: toward a predictive theory of competition and succession. Oikos 58, 3–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  98. Jumars, P.A. (1993) Concepts in biological oceanography. An interdisciplinary primer. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  99. Sebens, K.P. (1988) Competition for space: effects of disturbance and indeterminate competitive success. Theor. Pop. Biol. 32, 430–441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  100. Dayton, P.K. (1971) Competition, disturbance, and community organization: the provision and subsequent utilization of space in a rocky intertidal community. Ecol. Monogr. 41, 351–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  101. Sutherland, J.P. (1974) Multiple stable points in natural communities. Am. Nat. 108, 859–873.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  102. Dayton, P.K. (1984) Processes structuring some marine communities: are they general? In Stong Jr., D.R., Simberloff, D., Abele, LG. and Thistle, A.B. (eds), Ecological communities: conceptual issues and the evidence. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, pp. 182–197.

    Google Scholar 

  103. Peterson, C.H. (1979) Predation, competitive exclusion, and diversity in the soft-sediment benthic communities of estuaries and lagoons, in R.J. Livingstone (cd), Ecological processes in coastal and marine systems. Plenum Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  104. Gaines, S. and Roughgarden, J. (1985) Larval settlement rate: a leading determinant of structure in an ecological community of the marine intertidal zone. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., USA 82, 3707–3711.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  105. Reise, K. (1985) Tidal flat ecology. Ecological Studies 54, Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  106. Connell, J.H. (1985) The consequences of variation in initial settlement vs. post-settlement mortality in rocky intertidal communities. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 93, 11–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  107. Menge, B.A. and Sutherland, J.P. (1987) Community regulation: variation in disturbance, competition, and predation in relation to environmental stress and recruitment. Amer. Nat. 130, 730–757.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  108. Underwood, A.J. and Fairweather, P.G. (1989) Supply-side ecology and benthic marine assemblages. Trends Ecol. Evol. 4, 16–20.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  109. Gaines, S.D. and Bertness, M.D. (1992) Dispersal of juveniles and variable recruitment in sessile marine species. Nature 360, 579–580.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  110. Olafsson, E.B., Peterson, C.H. and Ambrose, W.G. (1994) Does recruitment limitation structure populations and communities of macro-invertebrates in marine soft sediments: the relative significance of pre-and post-settlement processes. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 32, 65–109.

    Google Scholar 

  111. Hjort, J. (1914) Fluctuations in the great fisheries of northern Europe viewed in the light of biological research. Rapp. P.-v. Réun. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer 20, 1–228.

    Google Scholar 

  112. Cushing, D.H. (1975) Marine ecology and fisheries. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, pp. 278.

    Google Scholar 

  113. Lasker, R. (1978) The relation between oceanographic conditions and larval anchovy food in the California Current: identification of factors contributing to recruitment failure. Rapp. P.-v. Réun. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer 173, 212–230.

    Google Scholar 

  114. Sinclair, M., Tremblay, M.J. and P. Bernal (1985) El Niño events and variability in a Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus) survival index: support for Hjort’s second hypothesis. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 42, 602–608.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  115. Boysen Jensen, P. (1919) Valuation of the Limfjord. I. Studies on the fish food in the Limfjord, 1909–1917, its quantity, variation and annual production. Rep. Danish biol. Sta. 26, 1–44.

    Google Scholar 

  116. Blegvad, H. (1928) Quantitative investigations of bottom invertebrates in the Limfjord 1910–1927 with special reference to the plaice food. Rep. Danish biol. Sta. 34

    Google Scholar 

  117. Thorson, G. (1950) Reproductive and larval ecology of marine bottom invertebrates. Biol. Rev. 25, 1–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  118. Connell, J.H., Hughes, T.P. and Wallace, C.C. (1997) A 30-year study of coral abundance, recruitment, and disturbance at several scales in space and time. Ecol. Monogr. 67, 461–488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  119. Eckman, J.E. (1983) Hydrodynamic processes affecting benthic recruitment. Limnol. Oceanogr. 28, 241–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  120. Wilson, D.P. (1952) The influence of the nature of the substratum on the metamorphosis of the larvae of marine animals, especially the larvae of Ophelia bicomis Savigny. Ann. Inst. Oceanogr. Monaco 27, 49–156.

    Google Scholar 

  121. Butman, C.A. (1987) Larval settlement of soft-sediment invertebrates: The spatial scales of pattern explained by active habitat selection and the emerging role of hydrodynamical processes. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 25, 113–165.

    Google Scholar 

  122. McEdwards, L. (1995) Ecology of marine invertebrate larvae. CRC Press, Boca Raton.

    Google Scholar 

  123. Günther, C-P. (1992) Dispersal of intertidal invertebrates: a strategy to react to disturbances of different scales? Neth. J. Sea Res. 30, 45–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  124. Armonies, W. (1994) Drifting meio-and macrobenthic invertebrates on tidal flats in Königshafen: a review. Helgoländer Meeresunters. 48, 299–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  125. Olivier, F., Vallet, C., Dauvin, J-C. and Retiére, C. (1996) Drifting in post-larvae and juveniles in an Abra alba (Wood) community of the eastern part of the Bay of Seine (English Channel). J. exp. mar. Biol Ecol. 199, 89–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  126. Ziegelmeier, E. (1970) Über Massenvorkommen ver-schiedener makrobenthaler Wirbelloser während der Wiederbesiedlungsphase nach Schädigungen durch “katastrophale” Umwelteinflüsse. Helgol. Wiss. Meeresunters. 21, 9–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  127. Beukema, J.J. (1982) Annual variation in reproductive success and biomass of the major macrozoobenthic species living in a tidal flat area of the Wadden Sea. Neth. J. Sea Res. 16, 37–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  128. Beukema, J.J. (1992) Expected changes in the Wadden Sea benthos in a warmer world: lessons from periods with mild winters. Neth. J. Sea Res. 30, 73–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  129. Reise, K. (1987) Experimental analysis of processes between species on marine tidal flats, in Schulze, E.-D. and Zwölfer, H. (eds), Potentials and limitations of ecosystem analysis. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 391–400.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  130. Zwarts, L. (1991) Seasonal variation in body weight of the bivalves Macoma balthica, Scrobicularia plana, Mya arenaria and Cerastoderma edule in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Neth. J. Sea Res. 28, 231–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  131. Möbius, K. (1871) Das Thierleben am Boden der deutschen Nord-und Ostsee. Sammig gemeinverst. wiss. Vorträge, Hamburg 6, 3–32.

    Google Scholar 

  132. Petersen, C.G.J. (1914) Valuation of the sea. II. The animal communities of the sea bottom and their importance for marine zoogeography. Rep. Danish biol. Sta. 21, 1–68.

    Google Scholar 

  133. Thorson, G. (1957) Bottom communities (sublittoral or shallow shelf), in J.W. Hedgpeth (ed), Treatise on marine ecology and palaeoecology, Vol.1. Mem. Geol. Soc. America, 67, pp. 451–534.

    Google Scholar 

  134. Rosenberg, R. (1976) Benthic faunal dynamics during succession following pollution abatement in a Swedish estuary. Oikos 27, 414–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  135. Rhoads, D.C. and Young, D.K. (1970) The influence of deposit-feeding organisms on sediment stability and community trophic structure. J. Mar. Res. 28, 150–178.

    Google Scholar 

  136. Pérès, J.M (1961) Océanographie biologique et biologie marine (I). Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  137. Golikov, A.N. and O.A. Scarlato (1973) Comparative characteristics of some ecosystems of the upper regions of the shelf in tropical, temperate and arctic waters. Helgol. Wiss. Meeresunters. 24, 219–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  138. Connell, J.H. (1978) Diversity in tropical rain forests and coral reefs. Science 1, 1302–1309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  139. Gili, J.M. and Ros, J. (1985) Study and cartography of the benthic communities of Medes Islands. P.S.Z.N. I: Mar. Ecol. 6, 219–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  140. Schickan, T. (1996) Epibiontische Vergesellschaftungen im Weddell-und Lazarevmeer, Antarktis. Dipl. Thesis, Univ. Bremen.

    Google Scholar 

  141. Knowlton, N. (1993) Sibling species in the sea. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 24, 189–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  142. Strathmann, R.R. (1990) Why life histories evolve differently in the sea. Am. Zool. 30, 197–207.

    Google Scholar 

  143. Horn, H.S. and MacArthur, R.H. (1972) Competition among fugitive species in a harlequin environment. Ecology 5, 749–752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  144. DeAngelis, P.L. and Waterhouse, J.C. (1987) Equilibrium and nonequilibrium con-cepts in ecological models. Ecol. Monogr. 57, 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  145. Gray, J.S. (1977) The stability of benthic ecosystems. Helgol. Wiss. Meeresunters. 30,427–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  146. Thrush, S.F., Whitlatch, R.B., Pridmore, R.D., Hewitt, J.E., Cummings, V.J. and Wilkinson, M.R. (1996) Scale-dependent recolonization: the role of sediment stability in a dynamic sandflat habitat. Ecology 77, 2472–2487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  147. Thrush, S.F. et multiple authors (1997) Scaling-up from experiments to complex ecological systems: where to next? J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 216, 243–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  148. Rachor, E. and Gerlach, S.A. (1978) Changes in a sublittoral sand area of the German Bight, 1967 to 1970. Rapp. P.-v. Réun. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer 172, 418–431.

    Google Scholar 

  149. Rhoads, D.C., McCall, P. and Yingst, J.Y. (1978) Disturbance and production on the estuarine seafloor. Amer. Sci. 66, 577–586.

    Google Scholar 

  150. Pearson, T.H. (1981) Stress and catastrophe in marine benthic ecosystems, in G.W. Barrett and R. Rosenberg (eds), Stress effects on natural ecosystems. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp. 201–214.

    Google Scholar 

  151. Arntz, W.E. (1981) Biomass zonation and dynamics of macrobenthos in an area stressed by oxygen deficiency, in G. Barrett and R. Rosenberg (eds), Stress effects on natural ecosystems. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, pp. 215–225.

    Google Scholar 

  152. Boesch, D.F. and Rosenberg, R. (1981) Response to stress in marine benthic com-munities, in G.W. Barrett and R. Rosenberg (eds), Stress effects on natural ecosystems. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp. 179–200.

    Google Scholar 

  153. Sousa, W.P. (1984) The role of disturbance in natural communities. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 15, 353–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  154. Menge, B.A. and Lubchenco, J. (1981) Community organzation in temperate and tropical rocky intertidal habitats: prey refuges in relation to consumer pressure gradients. Ecol. Monogr. 51, 429–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  155. Paine, R.T. and Levin, S.A. (1981) Intertidal landscapes: disturbance and the dynamics of pattern. Ecol. Monogr. 51, 37–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  156. Remmert, H. (1992) Ökologie. Ein Lehrbuch. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  157. Connell, J.H. (1975) Some mechanisms producing structure in natural communities: a model and evidence from field experiments, in M. Cody and J. Diamond (eds). Ecology and evolution of communities. Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, pp. 460–490.

    Google Scholar 

  158. Dayton, P.K. and Hessler, R.R. (1972) Role of biological disturbance in maintaining diversity in the deep sea. Deep-Sea Res. 19, 199–208.

    Google Scholar 

  159. Glynn, P. (1985) El Niño-associated disturbance to coral reefs and post disturbance mortality by Acanthaster planci. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 26, 295–300..

    Article  Google Scholar 

  160. Pearson, T.H. and Rosenberg, R. (1978) Macrobenthic succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine environment. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 16, 229–311.

    Google Scholar 

  161. Arntz, W.E. and Rumohr, H. (1982) An experimental study of macrobenthic colonization and succession, and the importance of seasonal variation in temperate latitudes. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 64, 17–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  162. Diaz, R.J. and Rosenberg, R. (1995) Marine benthic hypoxia: a review of its ecological effects and the behavioural responses of benthic macrofauna. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 33, 245–303.

    Google Scholar 

  163. Dayton, P.K. (1990) Polar benthos, in W.O. Smith Jr. (ed;, Polar oceanography, part B: Chemistry, biology, and geology. Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 631–685.

    Google Scholar 

  164. Dittmann, S. (1990) Mussel beds — amensalism or amelioration for intertidal fauna. Helgol. Meeresunters. 44, 335–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  165. Günther, C-P. (1996) Development of small Mytilus beds and its effect on resident intertidal macrofauna. Mar. Ecol. 17, 117–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  166. Gray, J.S. (1994) Is deep-sea diversity really so high? Species diversity of the Norwegian continental shelf. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 112, 205–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  167. Gray, J.S., Poore, G.C.B., Ugland, K.I. and Wilson, R.S. (1997) Coastal and deep-sea benthic diversities compared. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 159, 97–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  168. Warwick, R.M. (1997) Biodiversity and production on the sea floor, in G. Hempel (ed) The ocean and the poles, grand challenges for European cooperation. Fischer, Stuttgart, pp. 217–226.

    Google Scholar 

  169. Sanders, H.L. (1968) Marine benthic diversity: a comparative study. Am. Nat. 102, 243–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  170. Clarke, A. (1992) Is there a diversity cline in the sea? Trends Ecol. Evol. 9, 286 f.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  171. IBM ANT (Marine biological investigations in the Magellan region related to the Antarctic) (in press), W.E. Arntz and C. Rios (eds), Scientia Marina spec. issue.

    Google Scholar 

  172. Brey, T., Klages, M., Dahm, C., Gomy, M., Gutt, J., Hain, S., Stiller, M., Arntz, W.E, Wägele, J.W. and Zimmermann, A. (1994) Antarctic benthic diversity. Nature 368, 297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  173. Arntz, W.E., Gutt, J., and Klages, M. (1997) Antarctic marine biodiversity: an over-view, in B. Battaglia, J. Valencia and D. Walton (eds), Antarctic communities. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, pp. 3–14.

    Google Scholar 

  174. Knox, G.A. and Lowry, J.K. (1977) A comparison between the benthos of the Southern Ocean and the North Polar Ocean with special reference to the Amphipoda and the Polychaeta, in: M.J. Dunbar (ed), Polar Oceans. Arctic Inst. of North America, Calgary, pp. 423–462.

    Google Scholar 

  175. Piepenburg, D., Voß, J. and Gutt, J. (1997) Assemblages of sea stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) and brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica) and off northeast Greenland (Arctic): a comparison of diversity and abundance. Polar Biol. 17, 305–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  176. Kendall, M.A. (1996) Are Arctic soft-sediment macrobenthic communities impoverished? Polar Biol. 16, 393–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  177. Grassle, J.S. and Maciolek, N.J. (1992) Deep-sea species richness: regional and local diversity estimates from quantitative bottom samples. Am. Nat. 139, 313–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  178. Gray, J.S. (1993) Is coastal biodiversity as high as that of the deep sea? In Eleftheriou, A., Ansell, A.D. and Smith, C.J. (eds), Biology and ecology of shallow coastal waters. Olsen and Olsen, Fredensborg 1995, pp. 181–184.

    Google Scholar 

  179. Coleman, N., Gason, A. and Poore, G.C.B. (1997) High species richness in the shallow marine waters of south-east Australia. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 154, 17–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  180. Levinton, J.S. (1995) Marine biology. Function, biodiversity, ecology. Oxford Univ. Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  181. Starmans, A. (1997) Vergleichende Untersuchungen zur Ökologie und Biodiversität des Mega-Epibenthos der Arktis und Antarktis. Ber. Polarforsch. 250, 1–150.

    Google Scholar 

  182. Peterson, C.H. (1975) Stability of species and of community for the benthos of two lagoons. Ecology 56, 958–965.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  183. Sanders, H.L. (1969) Benthic marine diversity and the stability-time hypothesis. Brookhaven Symp.Biol. 22, 71–80.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  184. Hurlbert, H.S. (1971) The nonconcept of species diversity: a critique and alternative parameters. Ecology 52, 577–586.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  185. Huston, M. (1979) A general hypothesis of species diversity. Am. Naturalist 113, 81–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  186. Remitiert, H. (1991) The mosaic-cycle concept of ecosystems — an overview, in Remmert, H. (ed), The mosaic-cycle concept of ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  187. Reise, K. (1991) Mosaic cycles in the marine benthos, in Remmert, H. (ed), The mosaic-cycle concept of ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 61–82.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  188. Gutt, J., Starmans, A. and Dieckmann, G. (1996) Impact of iceberg scouring on polar benthic habitats. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 137, 311–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  189. Crame, A. (1993) Latitudinal range fluctuations in the marine realm through geo-logical time. Trends Ecol. Evol. 8, 162–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  190. Brandt, A. (1991) Zur Besiedlungsgeschichte des antarktischen Schelfes am Bei-spiel der Isopoda (Crustacea, Malacostraca). Ber. Polarforsch. 98, 240 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  191. Brey, T., Dahm, C., Gorny, M., Klages, M., Stiller, M. and W.E. Arntz (1996) Do Antarctic invertebrates show an extended level of eurybathy? Antarctic Science 8, 3–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  192. APIS (Antarctic Pack Ice Seats) (1995) Report of the 1995 APIS program planning meeting, SCAR Group of Specialists on Seals, pp. 26.

    Google Scholar 

  193. Franeker, J.A. van, Bathmann, U.V. and Mathot, S. (1997) Carbon fluxes to Antarctic top predators. Deep-Sea Res. 44, 435–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven and Sylt, Germany and Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain

    W. E. Arntz, J. M. Gili & K. Reise

Authors
  1. W. E. Arntz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. M. Gili
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. K. Reise
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Biologisk Institutt, Universitetet i Oslo, Blindern, Norway

    John S. Gray

  2. Department of Biology, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, USA

    William Ambrose Jr.

  3. Institute of Oceanography, Gdansk University, Gdynia, Poland

    Anna Szaniawska

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Arntz, W.E., Gili, J.M., Reise, K. (1999). Unjustifiably Ignored: Reflections on the Role of Benthos in Marine Ecosystems. In: Gray, J.S., Ambrose, W., Szaniawska, A. (eds) Biogeochemical Cycling and Sediment Ecology. NATO ASI Series, vol 59. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4649-4_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4649-4_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5962-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-4649-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation