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The First Data on the Structure of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems of the Emperor Chain Seamounts: Indicator Taxa, Landscapes, and Biogeography

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Abstract—

The first comprehensive study of the deep-sea ecosystems of the Emperor Chain seamounts (the northwestern Pacific Ocean) was conducted in July–August 2019 by A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, FEB RAS. The expedition, using a remote-operated underwater vehicle Comanche 18, was aimed at the study of distribution of typical underwater landscapes and key taxa of Octocorallia corals and Hexactinellida sponges in the vulnerable marine ecosystem of the seamounts. New data on the macrobenthos biodiversity and biogeographic characteristics of deep-sea corals and sponges, which are the dominant animals in the studied area, are presented. The survey has shown changes of the coral fauna in the latitudinal direction and obtained new data on the biogeographic boundary in the area of the Emperor Chain seamounts.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank V.B. Ptushkin, the Captain of the R/V Akademik M. Lavrentiev, the team of the R/V, and the support group of the ROV Comanche 18 for the well-coordinated efforts that provided the success of this expedition.

Funding

The expedition to the Emperor Chain area is financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. This work was carried out as part of a State Assignment (themes nos. 0208-2019-0012 and 0149-2019-0009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 690041, Vladivostok, Russia

    T. N. Dautova, P. A. Kireev, A. V. Moskovtseva & A. V. Adrianov

  2. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997, Moscow, Russia

    S. V. Galkin, K. R. Tabachnik & K. V. Minin

Authors
  1. T. N. Dautova
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  2. S. V. Galkin
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  3. K. R. Tabachnik
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  4. K. V. Minin
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  5. P. A. Kireev
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  6. A. V. Moskovtseva
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  7. A. V. Adrianov
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. N. Dautova.

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Conflict of interests. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Statement on the welfare of animals. All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Translated by I. Barsegova

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Dautova, T.N., Galkin, S.V., Tabachnik, K.R. et al. The First Data on the Structure of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems of the Emperor Chain Seamounts: Indicator Taxa, Landscapes, and Biogeography. Russ J Mar Biol 45, 408–417 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063074019060026

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