DEEP-SEA CORAL COMMUNITIES AS DRIVERS OF HABITAT COMPLEXITY

The physical structure of habitats shapes biodiversity, ecosystem function, and resilience. Deep-sea corals are habitat-forming organisms that contribute significantly to seafloor structural complexity and associated ecosystem functions. However, quantifying coral-driven habitat complexity in the deep sea is challenging due to the difficulty of surveying these environments and the complex morphologies of deep-sea corals. In this study, we assessed structural complexity at the Keahole Point Precious Coral Bed and the Japanese submarine I-201 in the waters of Hawai’i aboard the E/V Nautilus cruise NA156 using seafloor imagery provided by the ROV Hercules to directly quantify the structural complexity provided by deep-sea corals. We generated high-resolution 3D models and then digitally removed the corals to compare habitat structural complexity (defined as the ratio of 3D to 2D area) for paired models with and without the corals to quantify their contribution to structural complexity. Our preliminary results suggest that even relatively low coral cover deep-sea communities can detectably increase seafloor structural complexity. Further analyses will assess how different coral taxa contribute to structural complexity at both sites and examine the scale-dependence of this complexity to better understand their role in habitat provisioning across spatial scales. These findings highlight the role of deep-sea corals as ecosystem engineers, enhancing habitat structural complexity and contributing to the resilience of both natural and artificial ecosystems.

Presentation Preference: Either

Primary Presenter: Ignacio Rueda, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez (ignacio.rueda@upr.edu)

Authors:

Ignacio Rueda, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico  (Ignacio.Rueda@upr.edu)

Jonathan Fiely, Ocean Exploration Trust  (jfiely@oceanexplorationtrust.org)

Stephen Hughes, Department of Geology, University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico  (kenneth.hughes@upr.edu)

Daniel Dietz, Office of Naval Research  (daniel.n.deitz.civ@us.navy.mil)

Quinlan Fahy, Ocean Exploration Trust  (fahy.02@gmail.com)

Taylorann Smith, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California  (taylorann.smith.430@my.csun.edu)

Zach Taylor, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaiʻi  (taylorz@hawaii.edu)

Kelsey Barnhill, Deep Sea Coordinator Towards IPOS  (kelseybarnhill@gmail.com)

Renato Kane, Ocean Exploration Trust  (renato.r.kane@gmail.com)

Kristopher Krasnosky, Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies, College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida  (kris@seaward.science)

Johann Becker, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island  (beckerj@uri.edu)

Jason Fahy, Ocean Exploration Trust  (fahyjp@uri.edu)

Larry Mayer, School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering & Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire  (larry@ccom.unh.edu)

Robert Ballard, Ocean Exploration Trust  (rballard@uri.edu)

Travis Courtney, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico  (travis.courtney@upr.edu)