Oasis of the deep: Cold-water corals of the South China Sea

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106354

CORC > 深海科学与工程研究所 > 中国科学院深海科学与工程研究所 > 深海科学研究部 > 深海地质与地球化学研究室

	Oasis of the deep: Cold-water corals of the South China Sea
	Ta, Kaiwen 3; Song, Xikun 3; Wei, Zhanfei 1,2; Du, Mengran 3; Xu, Hengchao 3; Chen, Shun 3; Li, Jiwei 3; Liu, Shuangquan 3; Peng, Xiaotong 3
刊名	MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
	2024-03-01
卷号	195 页码:16
关键词	Cold-water coral The South China Sea ShenhaiYongshi Environmental variables Hotspot
ISSN号	0141-1136
DOI	10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106354
英文摘要	Cold-water coral (CWC) communities are biodiversity hotspots on the world's deep seafloor. Although deep-sea corals in the South China Sea (SCS) have been reported before, they are only sporadic. A comprehensive and systematic understanding of the CWC in the SCS would forge the basis for future protection. Here we conducted the first systematic survey on the CWCs in the following six broad-scale sub-regions, from the northwest and northeast slopes to the seamounts in the western and central basins of the SCS, through twenty-four dives of the human-occupied vehicle ShenhaiYongshi. Statistical analysis provided detailed information on the distribution, abundance, size, diversity, and density of CWCs and the in situ environmental conditions supporting coral habitats. We found that the SCS hosted highly diversified coral communities, including twelve genera of gorgonians, six genera of black corals, and one genus of stony corals. The differences in the spatial distribution patterns of coral communities suggested that several environmental variables (depth, temperature, salinity, substrate, and geomorphology) might influence the development of CWCs in the SCS. The intermediate water layer of the SCS appeared to provide suitable habitat for deep-sea coral communities and potentially promoted connectivity. Furthermore, differences between sub-regions within the SCS may be an important factor responsible for the biogeographic patterns of CWCs. These sub-regions of CWCs were observed to range from 0.004 to 0.622 corals m(-2), with an average of 0.139 corals m(-2). The mean density of CWCs in the SCS was relatively high compared to well-studied CWC hotspots. Overall, the results revealed the significance of the SCS as an important CWC hotspot in the world. These findings provide a fundamental basis for the protection of deepsea coral assemblages in the SCS.
资助项目	Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China[SQ2024MSXM1280] ; State Key RD Project[2021YFF0502500] ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[42276090] ; Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS ; IDSSE research project[E3710201]
WOS关键词	ANTHOZOA HEXACORALLIA ; LOPHELIA-PERTUSA ; ANTIPATHARIA ; COMMUNITIES ; TEMPERATURE ; DIVERSITY ; ATLANTIC ; DEPTH ; REEFS
WOS研究方向	Environmental Sciences & Ecology ; Marine & Freshwater Biology ; Toxicology
语种	英语
出版者	ELSEVIER SCI LTD
WOS记录号	WOS:001165122500001
资助机构	Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China ; State Key RD Project ; National Natural Science Foundation of China ; Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS ; IDSSE research project
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.idsse.ac.cn/handle/183446/10919]
专题	深海科学研究部_深海地质与地球化学研究室
通讯作者	Peng, Xiaotong
作者单位	1.BGI Shenzhen, BGI Qingdao, Qingdao, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Fishery Sci, Yellow Sea Fisheries Res Inst, Qingdao, Peoples R China 3.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Deep Sea Sci & Engn, Deep Sea Sci Div, Sanya, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Ta, Kaiwen,Song, Xikun,Wei, Zhanfei,et al. Oasis of the deep: Cold-water corals of the South China Sea[J]. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH,2024,195:16.
APA	Ta, Kaiwen.,Song, Xikun.,Wei, Zhanfei.,Du, Mengran.,Xu, Hengchao.,...&Peng, Xiaotong.(2024).Oasis of the deep: Cold-water corals of the South China Sea.MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH,195,16.
MLA	Ta, Kaiwen,et al."Oasis of the deep: Cold-water corals of the South China Sea".MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 195(2024):16.