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Community structure and diversity of polychaetes (Annelida) in the deep Weddell Sea (Southern Ocean) and adjacent basins

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Abstract

During the austral summer of 2005, the Weddell deep sea and adjacent basins were sampled in the course of the ANDEEP III project. In this study, 19 epibenthic-sledge stations are analyzed, with a focus on species diversity and distribution patterns of polychaetes. The polychaete fauna of the deep Southern Ocean has been found to be similarly speciose and diverse compared with deep-sea basins worldwide. Also, in depths below 2,000 m many polychaete species do not seem to be endemic for certain areas but are rather far spread within the Southern Ocean and beyond. Therefore, ongoing faunal exchanges between adjacent basins, even beyond the Antarctic convergence, are strongly suggested, ruling out a general isolation of the Southern Ocean deep-sea benthos. Driving forces behind species distribution patterns were investigated. The findings indicate that polychaete species’ distribution in the Southern Ocean deep sea is rather dependent on local environment than depths.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all crew members and participants of the ANDEEP III expedition aboard the RV Polarstern for their great effort and care while sampling the Southern Ocean. Further thanks are due to the Zoological Museum, University of Hamburg for pre-sorting and provision of polychaete samples, as well as to the DZMB, Wilhelmshaven, for the subsequent sample management. This study was funded by the German Science Foundation WA 530/29–1/2 and the Sloan Foundation through the Census of Marine Life field project CeDAMar. This is ANDEEP publication No. 116.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany

    Myriam Schüller

  2. Senckenberg Institut, CeDAMar, c/o ZFMK Bonn, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany

    Brigitte Ebbe

  3. ZFMK Bonn, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany

    J.-Wolfgang Wägele

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  1. Myriam Schüller
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  2. Brigitte Ebbe
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  3. J.-Wolfgang Wägele
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Correspondence to Myriam Schüller.

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Schüller, M., Ebbe, B. & Wägele, JW. Community structure and diversity of polychaetes (Annelida) in the deep Weddell Sea (Southern Ocean) and adjacent basins. Mar Biodiv 39, 95–108 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-009-0009-4

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