Document of dataset 8074

Dataset record

Type

Dataset

title in English

Benthic isopods from the abyss of the Guinea, Angola and Cape basins (equatorial and south-east Atlantic) collected during the DIVA 1-2 expeditions (2000, 2005) using an epibenthic sledge

Description in English

The aim of the DIVA expeditions was to close some knowledge gaps in order to contribute to a better understanding of the diversity patterns and their causes in the abyssal Atlantic Ocean. In total of 4,780 isopod specimens were obtained from the EBS samples. Except for the parasitic isopods, which were not considered here, all specimens belong to the suborder Asellota. Of the 13 identified asellotan families, Munnopsidae were most dominant constituting 45.0 % of total asellotan specimens, followed by the Desmosomatidae (19.5%) and Haploniscidae (18.2%). Isopod densities were highest in the western Guinea basin and lowest in the northern Angola basin, reflecting differences in food availability between basins.

Abstract in English

Isopoda from this data set were collected during the DIVA (Latitudinal Gradients of Deep-Sea BioDIVersity in the Atlantic) 1-2 expeditions (Me 48/1 -DIVA 1; Me 63/2 - DIVA 2) on board RV Meteor, taking place in July 2000 (DIVA 1), and between February and March 2005 (DIVA 2). Samples were taken by means of an epibenthic sledge (EBS). A total of 15 EBS samples were taken in three abyssal basins of the equatorial and South-eastern Atlantic at depths between 5,047 and 5,657 m, Guinea basin in the equatorial Atlantic, as well as the Angola and Cape basins in the SE Atlantic. Macroecological patterns of diversity and abundance in the deep sea have been derived to a large extent from macrofaunal data from the North Atlantic, while data from the Southern Hemisphere abyss are sparse. This leads to a somewhat distorted view of biodiversity patterns along latitudinal gradients.

Contactpoint

Email

ssm.kaiser@gmail.com

License

https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.html

bibliographicCitation

Kaiser, Stefanie; Brenke, Nils; Brix, Saskia; Brandt, Angelika; Brökeland, Wiebke; Kürzel, Karlotta; Wägele, Johann-Wolfgang (2022) Benthic isopods from the abyss of the Guinea, Angola and Cape basins (equatorial and south-east Atlantic) collected during the DIVA 1-2 expeditions (2000, 2005) using an epibenthic sledge.