Benthos fauna in the North Sea from 2 surveys in 1986 and 1987

During two surveys in the North Sea, in summer 1986 and in winter 1987, larger epibenthos was collected with a 2 m beam trawl. The distributions of the species were checked for average linkage by means of the JACCARD-index cluster analysis. In summer two main clusters can be recognized. These are situated to the north and to the south of the Dogger Bank. In winter two main clusters may be recognized as well, but these clusters divide the North Sea into a western and an eastern part. We conclude, that these differences of epibenthos characteristics are correlated with seasonal changes in water body distributions.

Miocene flora and paleoclimate estimations of Schrotzburg, South Germany

We present a detailed palaeoclimate analysis of the Middle Miocene (uppermost Badenian-lowermost Sarmatian) Schrotzburg locality in S Germany, based on the fossil macro- and micro-flora, using four different methods for the estimation of palaeoclimate parameters: the coexistence approach (CA), leaf margin analysis (LMA), the Climate-Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP), as well as a recently developed multivariate leaf physiognomic approach based on an European calibration dataset (ELPA). Considering results of all methods used, the following palaeoclimate estimates seem to be most likely: mean annual temperature ~15-16°C (MAT), coldest month mean temperature ~7°C (CMMT), warmest month mean temperature between 25 and 26°C, and mean annual precipiation ~1,300 mm, although CMMT values may have been colder as indicated by the disappearance of the crocodile Diplocynodon and the temperature thresholds derived from modern alligators. For most palaeoclimatic parameters, estimates derived by CLAMP significantly differ from those derived by most other methods. With respect to the consistency of the results obtained by CA, LMA and ELPA, it is suggested that for the Schrotzburg locality CLAMP is probably less reliable than most other methods. A possible explanation may be attributed to the correlation between leaf physiognomy and climate as represented by the CLAMP calibration data set which is largely based on extant floras from N America and E Asia and which may be not suitable for application to the European Neogene. All physiognomic methods used here were affected by taphonomic biasses. Especially the number of taxa had a great influence on the reliability of the palaeoclimate estimates. Both multivariate leaf physiognomic approaches are less influenced by such biasses than the univariate LMA. In combination with previously published results from the European and Asian Neogene, our data suggest that during the Neogene in Eurasia CLAMP may produce temperature estimates, which are systematically too cold as compared to other evidence. This pattern, however, has to be further investigated using additional palaeofloras.

Dinoflagellates and pollen of the Brito-Arctic Igneous Province flora, ODP Hole 104-642E

Palynological studies of the intrabasaltic sediment layers in the lower volcanic series from ODP Leg 104 outer Voring Plateau Hole 642E Cores 102 through 109 indicated abundant pollen and rarer dinoflagellate cysts. The dinoflagellates belong to the Apectodinium hyperacanthum Zone and indicate an age equivalent to nannoplankton Zones NP9-lower NP10 around the Paleocene/Eocene boundary. The pollen and spore assemblage found here in 12 of the samples from the lower volcanic series is of well- preserved and distinctive specimens and contains unusual forms of pollen from the Taxodiaceae and the Hamamelidae. It has not been transported far from vegetation that was dominated by conifer forest with some ferns and deciduous arborescent angiosperms. Nearly identical assemblages are found elsewhere in the Brito-Arctic Igneous Province, in intrabasaltic sediments from eastern Greenland, the Faeroe Islands, the Isle of Mull, and Antrim (Northern Ireland), and above basalt at the Rockall Plateau. The assemblage is also present in sediments around the Paleocene/Eocene boundary in Spitsbergen. This pollen and spore flora is also associated with dinoflagellate cysts of the Apectodinium hyperacanthum Zone in the deposits from eastern Greenland, the Rockall Plateau, and Spitsbergen, suggesting that these are correlative. Assemblages of the same age from the North Sea, Denmark, and the London and Paris Basins are different. Paleobotanical evidence suggests a short survival of the intrabasaltic flora, and that all the deposits considered here are of about the same age. We propose that at around the Paleocene/Eocene boundary a distinct flora, named here as the Brito-Arctic Igneous Province (BIP) flora, occurred on the line of volcanicity stretching from Rockall to the Greenland Sea, and even to Spitsbergen. Geophysical evidence supports our view that the Rockall to East Greenland intrabasaltics are more or less contemporaneous, at about the Paleocene/Eocene boundary. However, the comparable pollen and spore assemblage in the Hebridean province, at Mull and Antrim, is from pyroclastics that may be a little older.

Determination of ages and fossil Coleoptera fauna from eight sites in the London region

These data sets report the fossil beetle assemblages identified from the Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age at eight sites in the London region. All but one of the study sites are within 2 km of the modern course of the Thames. The sites produced 128 faunal assemblages that yielded 218 identified species in 41 families of Coleoptera (beetles).  Beetle faunas of Mesolithic age indicate extensive wetlands near the Thames, bordered by rich deciduous woodlands. The proportion of woodland species declined in the Neolithic, apparently because of the expansion of wetlands, rather than because of human activities. The Early Bronze Age faunas contained a greater proportion of coniferous woodland and aquatic (standing water) species. An increase in the dung beetle fauna indicates the presence of sheep, cattle and horses, and various beetles associated with crop lands demonstrate the local rise of agriculture, albeit several centuries after the beginnings of farming in other regions of Britain. Late Bronze Age faunas show the continued development of agriculture and animal husbandry along the lower Thames. About 33% of the total identified beetle fauna from the London area sites have limited modern distributions or are extinct in the U.K. Some of these species are associated with the dead wood found in primeval forests; others are wetland species whose habitat has been severely reduced in recent centuries. The third group is stream-dwelling beetles that require clean, clear waters and river bottoms.

Diversity of planktonic foraminifer fauna found in 18 deep-sea cores from the North Atlantic

Greenland stadial/interstadial cycles are known to affect the North Atlantic's hydrography and overturning circulation and to cause ecological changes on land (e.g., vegetation). Hardly any information, directly expressed as diversity indices, however, exists on the impacts of these millennial-scale variations on the marine flora and fauna. We calculated three diversity indices (species richness, Shannon diversity index, Hurlbert's probability of interspecific encounter) for the planktonic foraminifer fauna found in 18 deep-sea cores covering a time span back to 60 ka. Clear differences in diversity response to the abrupt climate change can be observed and some records can be grouped accordingly. Core SO82-05 from the southern section of the subpolar gyre, the cores along the British margin and core MD04-2845 in the Bay of Biscay show two modes of diversity distribution, with reduced diversity (uneven fauna) during cold phases and the reverse (even fauna) during warm phases. Along the Iberian margin high species diversity prevailed throughout most of the glacial period. The exceptions were the Heinrich stadials when the fauna abruptly shifted from an even to an uneven or less even fauna. Diversity changes were often abrupt, but revealed a high resilience of the planktonic foraminifer faunas. The subtropical gyre waters seem to buffer the climatic effects of the Heinrich events and Greenland Stadials allowing for a quick recovery of the fauna after such an event. The current work clearly shows that planktonic foraminifer faunas quickly adapt to climate change, albeit with a reduced diversity.

Benthic fauna associated with mussel beds and shrimp swarms within hydrothermal fields on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Macrofaunal assemblages with prevalence of Bresiliidae shrimps and Mytilidae mussels are abundant in at hydrothermal vents along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Mussels inhabit zones of diffuse seeps of hydrothermal fluids with temperature abnormalities up to several degrees. Shrimps inhabit an extreme biotope in a mixed interface between seawater and hydrothermal fluids at temperature up to 20-30°C. We studied the mussel and shrimp assemblages in three hydrothermal vent fields: Rainbow, Broken Spur, and Snake Pit. Species richness of the mussel assemblages within at least two fields (Broken Spur and Snake Pit) is higher as compared with shrimps from the same hydrothermal vent fields. Fauna inhibiting shrimp swarms lack almost any taxa specific for particular assemblages: almost all the taxa are also present in the mussel beds. Structure of the shrimp assemblage is less homogeneous as compared with that of the mussel assemblage. Population prevalence of one taxon (Copepoda) in the shrimp assemblage is most likely connected with extreme and unstable conditions of the biotope occupied by the shrimps in a hydrothermal field. Taxonomic similarity between the mussel and shrimp assemblages within one hydrothermal vent field is higher as compared with similarity between the mussel (or shrimp) assemblages from different fields.

Habitat Maps derived from Point Lookout Ecological Surveys (PLEA) of the Shag Rock, Manta Ray Bommie and Flat Rock dive sites at Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island, Australia, in 2014, in ArcGIS (shapefile) format

In 2014, UniDive (The University of Queensland Underwater Club) conducted an ecological assessment of the Point Lookout Dive sites for comparison with similar surveys conducted in 2001 - the PLEA project. Involvement in the project was voluntary. Members of UniDive who were marine experts conducted training for other club members who had no, or limited, experience in identifying marine organisms and mapping habitats. Since the 2001 detailed baseline study, no similar seasonal survey has been conducted. The 2014 data is particularly important given that numerous changes have taken place in relation to the management of, and potential impacts on, these reef sites. In 2009, Moreton Bay Marine Park was re-zoned, and Flat Rock was converted to a marine national park zone (Green zone) with no fishing or anchoring. In 2012, four permanent moorings were installed at Flat Rock. Additionally, the entire area was exposed to the potential effects of the 2011 and 2013 Queensland floods, including flood plumes which carried large quantities of sediment into Moreton Bay and surrounding waters. The population of South East Queensland has increased from 2.49 million in 2001 to 3.18 million in 2011 (BITRE, 2013). This rapidly expanding coastal population has increased the frequency and intensity of both commercial and recreational activities around Point Lookout dive sites (EPA 2008). Habitats were mapped using a combination of towed GPS photo transects, aerial photography and expert knowledge. This data provides georeferenced information regarding the major features of each of the Point Lookout Dive Sites.

Water chemistry, and abundance and carbon biomass of under-ice fauna during POLARSTERN cruise ARK-XIX/1 to the Storfjord area in 2003

The under-ice habitat and fauna were studied during a typical winter situation at three stations in the western Barents Sea. Dense pack ice (7-10/10) prevailed and ice thickness ranged over <0.1-1.6 m covered by <0.1-0.6 m of snow. Air temperatures ranged between -1.8 and -27.5°C. The ice undersides were level, white and smooth. Temperature and salinity profiles in the under-ice water (0-5 m depth) were not stratified (T=-1.9 to -2.0°C and S=34.2-34.7). Concentrations of inorganic nutrients were high and concentrations of algal pigments were very low (0.02 µg chlorophyll a/l), indicating the state of biological winter. Contents of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen ranged over 84.2-241.3 and 5.3-16.4 µg/l, respectively, the C/N ratio over 11.2-15.5 pointing to the dominance of detritus in the under-ice water. Abundances of amphipods at the ice underside were lower than in other seasons: 0-1.8 ind/m**2 for Apherusa glacialis, 0-0.7 ind/m**2 for Onisimus spp., and 0-0.8 ind/m**2 for Gammarus wilkitzkii. A total of 22 metazoan taxa were found in the under-ice water, with copepods as the most diverse and numerous group. Total abundances ranged over 181-2,487 ind/m**3 (biomass: 70-2,439 µg C/m**3), showing lower values than in spring, summer and autumn. The dominant species was the calanoid copepod Pseudocalanus minutus (34-1,485 ind/m**3), contributing 19-65% to total abundances, followed by copepod nauplii (85-548 ind/m**3) and the cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis (44-262 ind/m**3). Sympagic (ice-associated) organisms occurred only rarely in the under-ice water layer.

Stable Isotope composition of particulate organic matter and fauna in a deep Mediterranean cold-water coral bank

Cold-water corals (CWC) are frequently reported from deep sites with locally accelerated currents that enhance seabed food particle supply. Moreover, zooplankton likely account for ecologically important prey items, but their contribution to CWC diet remains unquantified. We investigated the benthic food web structure of the recently discovered Santa Maria di Leuca (SML) CWC province (300 to 1100 m depth) located in the oligotrophic northern Ionian Sea. We analyzed stable isotopes (delta13C and delta15N) of the main consumers (including ubiquitous CWC species) exhibiting different feeding strategies, zooplankton, suspended particulate organic matter (POM) and sedimented organic matter (SOM). Zooplankton and POM were collected 3 m above the coral colonies in order to assess their relative contributions to CWC diet. The delta15N of the scleractinians Desmophyllum dianthus, Madrepora oculata and Lophelia pertusa and the gorgonian Paramuricea cf. macrospinawere consistent with a diet mainly composed of zooplankton. The antipatharian Leiopathes glaberrima was more 15N- depletedthan other cnidarians, suggesting a lower contribution of zooplankton to its diet. Our delta13C data clearly indicate that the benthic food web of SML is exclusively fuelled by carbon of phytoplanktonic origin. Nevertheless, consumers feeding at the water sediment interface were more 13C-enriched than consumers feeding above the bottom (i.e. living corals and their epifauna). This pattern suggests that carbon is assimilated via 2 trophic pathways: relatively fresh phytoplanktonic production for 13C-depleted consumers and more decayed organic matter for 13C-enriched consumers. When the delta13C values of consumers were corrected for the influence of lipids (which are significantly 13C-depleted relative to other tissue components), our conclusions remained unchanged, except in the case of L. glaberrima which could assimilate a mixture of zooplankton and resuspended decayed organic matter.

Sediment geochemistry, foraminiferal fauna parameter, census counts and Varimax PC-factor loadings and scores of foraminiferal assemblages of sediment core GeoB12615-4

Analogous to West- and North Africa, East Africa experienced more humid conditions between approximately 12 to 5 kyr BP, relative to today. While timing and extension of wet phases in the North and West are well constrained, this is not the case for the East African Humid Period. Here we present a record of benthic foraminiferal assemblages and sediment elemental compositions of a sediment core from the East African continental slope, in order to provide insight into the regional shallow Indian Ocean paleoceanography and East African climate history of the last 40 kyr. During glacial times, the dominance of a benthic foraminiferal assemblage characterized by Bulimina aculeata, suggests enhanced surface productivity and sustained flux of organic carbon to the sea floor. During Heinrich Stadial 1 (H1), the Nuttallides rugosus Assemblage indicates oligotrophic bottom water conditions and therefore implies a stronger flow of southern-sourced AAIW to the study site. During the East African Humid Period, the Saidovina karreriana Assemblage in combination with sedimentary C/N and Fe/Ca ratios suggest higher river runoff to the Indian Ocean, and hence more humid conditions in East Africa. Between 8.5 and 8.1 kyr, contemporaneous to the globally documented 8.2 kyr Event, a severe reduction in river deposits implies more arid conditions on the continent. Comparison of our marine data with terrestrial studies suggests that additional moisture from the Atlantic Ocean, delivered by an eastward migration of the Congo Air Boundary during that time period, could have contributed to East African rainfall. Since approximately 9 kyr, the gaining influence of the Millettiana millettii Assemblage indicates a redevelopment of the East African fringe reefs.