Patterns and processes of the ecosystems of the Northern Mid-Atlantic (MAR-ECO project) - an international census of marine life project on deep-sea biodiversity

摘要

Despite the wide distribution and extensive area of mid-ocean ridges (see e.g.. Garrison 1993), relatively few previous investigations have been dedicated to the study of the animal communities inhabiting these vast areas of the world ocean. Ridges may have characteristic faunas, and they may also significantly influence the processes such as intercontinental migration and dispersion affecting slope and shelf biota. Compared with the continental shelf and coastal environments, the ecosystems of the mid-oceanic ridges are poorly known and exploratory activity will provide new knowledge on both previously described and undescribed species. However, providing well-documented new information on how mid-oceanic ridge communities are structured and sustained is a challenging task.