Community composition of mussel associates at deep-sea methane seeps in the Gulf of Mexico and the US Atlantic Margin
| dc.contributor.author | Paden, Gianna | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-05-23T22:26:40Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-05-23T22:26:40Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
| dc.description | 35 pages | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Efforts to understand and preserve methane seep communities of the Gulf of Mexico and the US western Atlantic margin begin with an understanding of biodiversity and community composition. In this study, 10143 individuals representing 63 different taxa were sampled from mussel-beds surrounding methane seeps at various depths within two different ocean basins. Diversity in mussel beds was highest at Baltimore Canyon, the shallowest site sampled in the Atlantic. Although only four species were sampled at more than one site, species composition was most alike among sites found at similar depths. The two deepest sites sampled, Florida Escarpment and Blake Ridge showed a 9.6% similarity. Baltimore Canyon and Chincoteague are both located in the Atlantic Ocean at different depths but had a 5.3% similarity. The high diversity of individuals sampled among these sites emphasizes the importance of preserving seep communities, which provide essential nursery habitats that further support more trophic levels within the deep-sea ecosystem. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1794/27174 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | University of Oregon | en_US |
| dc.rights | Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-US | en_US |
| dc.title | Community composition of mussel associates at deep-sea methane seeps in the Gulf of Mexico and the US Atlantic Margin | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis / Dissertation | en_US |