Global ecosystem typology

Alternative site for the Global ecosystem typology with additional information for ecosystem profiles and indicative maps.

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M3.4 Seamounts, ridges and plateaus

Biome: M3. Deep sea floors biome

Contributors:
(texts)

These deep, lightless ecosystems are centred on major geomorphic features of deep ocean floors. These elevated features interrupt lateral ocean currents and generate upwelling of nutrients. This promotes productivity in surface waters, which returns to depths as detritus. The input of these resources, combined with varied rocky micohabitats, unlike the sand and mud around them, supports diverse communities of immobile filter feeders (e.g. sponges), mobile benthic organisms (e.g. molluscs and starfish), and large aggregations of fish, especially around seamounts.

Key Features

Elevated geomorhic features with modified hydrography and heterogeneous habitat supporting high bnethic and pelagic productivity.

Overview of distribution

Elevated rocky topographic features rising from deep seafloor.

Profile versions

  • v1.0 (2020-01-20): E Ramirez-Llodra; AA Rowden; DA Keith
  • v2.0 (2020-05-28): E Ramirez-Llodra; AA Rowden; IG Priede; DA Keith
  • v2.01 ():
  • v2.1 (2022-04-06): E Ramirez-Llodra; AA Rowden; IG Priede; DA Keith Full profile available at official site

Main references

Selected references for this functional group:

  • Rogers AD (2018) The Biology of Seamounts: 25 Years on Advances in Marine Biology 79:137-224 DOI:10.1016/bs.amb.2018.06.001

  • Schlacher A, Rowden AA, Dower JF, Consalvey M (2010) Recent advances in seamount ecology: A contribution to the Census of Marine Life Marine Ecology (special issue) 31: 1-241.

Diagrammatic assembly model

Diagrammatic assembly model of M3.4 Seamounts, ridges and plateaus. See general notes on diagrams. Open image full size.

Maps

Maps are indicative of global distribution patterns are not intended to represent fine-scale patterns. The maps show areas of the world containing major (coloured red) or minor occurrences (coloured yellow) of each ecosystem functional group. See general notes on maps.

There are 2 alternative versions of the indicative map for this functional group, please compare description and sources below.

M3.4.IM.orig_v2.0

Datasets

  • GSFM-2014

Map references

  • Harris PT, Macmillan-Lawler M, Rupp J, Baker EK (2014) Geomorphology of the oceans. Marine Geology 352: 4-24. 10.1016/j.margeo.2014.01.011

M3.4.web.orig_v2.0

Major occurrences of seamounts, ridges and plateaus was based on the ‘mountains’ classes within the abyssal geomorphic unit of Harris et al. (2014b). Occurrences were converted to 30 arc second spatial resolution. Open image full size.

Datasets

  • GSFM-2014

Map references

  • Harris PT, Macmillan-Lawler M, Rupp J, Baker EK (2014) Geomorphology of the oceans. Marine Geology 352: 4-24. 10.1016/j.margeo.2014.01.011

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