Multi-Scale Spatial Analyses of Seamount Benthic Megafauna in the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain - Livestream

Knowledge gaps in the spatial distribution of habitat formers in the deep-sea leave communities at risk of anthropogenic disturbance such as bottom-contact fishing. Understanding how habitat formers, such as corals and sponges, are distributed on seamounts can inform area-based management necessary to protect biodiverse communities. This research therefore aims to investigate the multiple spatial scales of coral and sponge patches and habitats on seamounts of the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain. Patch size at multiple scales indicates coral and sponge patches inhabit patches of different sizes, and coral patches were larger and had a greater range in size than sponge patches. The habitats of corals and sponges investigated across three features of the HESC were distributed within a single water mass and associated with multiple sides and summits of the seamounts investigated. These analyses highlight the availability of spatial statistics and landscape methods to aid in area-based management of the seafloor, an incredibly important tool to mitigate current and future anthropogenic disturbance.

Speaker: Virginia Biede, Florida Sate University

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