Submarine canyons represent an essential habitat network for krill hotspots in a Large Marine Ecosystem.

ABSTRACT: Submarine canyon systems are ubiquitous features of marine ecosystems, known to support high levels of biodiversity. Canyons may be important to benthic-pelagic ecosystem coupling, but their role in concentrating plankton and structuring pelagic communities is not well known. We hypothesize that at the scale of a large marine ecosystem, canyons provide a critical habitat network, which maintain energy flow and trophic interactions. We evaluate canyon characteristics relative to the distribution and abundance of krill, critically important prey in the California Current Ecosystem. Using a geological database, we conducted a census of canyon locations, evaluated their dimensions, and quantified functional relationships with krill hotspots (i.e., sites of persistently elevated abundance) deri

SUBMITTER: Santora JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5954138 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature