@article {Vanreusel:2010tg,
	title = {The contribution of deep-sea macrohabitat heterogeneity to global nematode diversity},
	journal = {Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective},
	volume = {31},
	year = {2010},
	pages = {6-20},
	publisher = {WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC},
	address = {COMMERCE PLACE, 350 MAIN ST, MALDEN 02148, MA USA},
	abstract = {The great variety of geological and hydrological conditions in the deep sea generates many different habitats. Some are only recently explored, although their true extent and geographical coverage are still not fully established. Both continental margins and mid-oceanic seafloors are much more complex ecologically, geologically, chemically and hydrodynamically than originally thought. As a result, fundamental patterns of species distribution first observed and explained in the context of relatively monotonous slopes and abyssal plains must now be re-evaluated in the light of this newly recognized habitat heterogeneity. Based on a global database of nematode genus composition, collected as part of the Census of Marine Life, we show that macrohabitat heterogeneity contributes significantly to total deep-sea nematode diversity on a global scale. Different deep-sea settings harbour specific nematode assemblages. Some of them, like coral rubble zones or nodule areas, are very diverse habitats. Factors such as increased substrate complexity in the case of nodules and corals seem to facilitate the co-existence of a large number of genera with different modes of life, ranging from sediment dwelling to epifaunal. Furthermore, strong biochemical gradients in the case of vents or seeps are responsible for the success of particular genera, which are not prominent in more typical soft sediments. Many nematode deep-sea genera are cosmopolitan, inhabiting a variety of deep-sea habitats and oceans, whereas only 21\% of all deep-sea genera recorded are restricted to a single habitat. In addition to habitat heterogeneity, regional differences are important in structuring nematode assemblages. For instance, seeps from different regions yield different genera that thrive on the sulphidic sediments. This study also shows that many areas and habitats remain highly under-sampled, affecting our ability to understand fully the contribution of habitat heterogeneity versus regional differences to global nematode diversity.},
	keywords = {Biodiversity, census of marine life, deep sea, habitat heterogeneity, meiofauna, nematode genera},
	doi = {DOI 10.1111/j.1439-0485.2009.00352.x},
	author = {Vanreusel, Ann and Fonseca, Gustavo and Danovaro, Roberto and da Silva, Maria Cristina and Esteves, Andre M. and Ferrero, Tim and Gad, Gunnar and Galtsova, Valentina and Gambi, Cristina and Genevois, Veronica da Fonseca and Ingels, Jeroen and Ingole, Baban and Lampadariou, Nikolaos and Merckx, Bea and Miljutin, Dmitry and Miljutina, Maria and Muthumbi, Agnes and Netto, Sergio and Portnova, Daria and Radziejewska, Teresa and Raes, Maarten and Tchesunov, Alexei and Vanaverbeke, Jan and Van Gaever, Saskia and Venekey, Virag and Bezerra, Tania Nara and Flint, Hannah and Copley, John and Pape, Ellen and Zeppilli, Daniela and Martinez, Pedro Arbizu and Galeron, Joelle}
}
@booklet {Gallucci:2008ph,
	title = {Effects of megafauna exclusion on nematode assemblages at a deep-sea site},
	volume = {55},
	year = {2008},
	note = {Deep-Sea Research Part I-Oceanographic Research Papers},
	pages = {332-349},
	publisher = {PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD},
	address = {THE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, ENGLAND},
	abstract = {Caging experiments were performed at the Arctic deep-sea long-term observatory HAUSGARTEN to investigate the effects of megafauna exclusion on nematode assemblages. Six experimental cages were deployed at 2500 m water depth and sampled after 4 years for meiofauna and a series of sediment parameters. With the exception of chlorophyll a and phaeopigments, which were significantly higher inside the cages, sediment parameters did not differ between inside and outside the cages. Yet multivariate analysis of the sedimentary environment showed a higher variability outside the cages, indicating higher environmental heterogeneity in the presence of megafauna. Nematode densities (aver. 1516 ind 10 cm(-2)) were significantly higher in sediments from inside the cages, whereas total number of species (aver. 70 sp.), Shannon-Wiener diversity (aver. 3.4) and Pielou evenness (aver. 0.8) did not differ between the two treatments. Also differences in faunal multivariate structure between cage and control samples were not significant. Nevertheless, Fisher{\textquoteright}s alpha diversity, the number of nematode genera and taxonomic distinctness showed significantly higher values outside the cages. Since univariate measures are often insensitive to changes in community structure.. and interpretation of the multivariate analysis was confounded by the large number of rare species, we further analysed our data by dividing the species into three groups of frequency (frequent, intermediate and occasional) and into three groups of abundance (dominant, sub-dominant and scarce). Results from this analysis revealed that the higher nematode abundances inside the cages were mainly due to an increase in density of scarce species that were either frequent or intermediate in frequency. In contrast, occasional species were adversely affected. These results lead us to believe that it is mainly the frequent species occurring in low densities that take advantage of favourable conditions (i.e. lack of disturbance or increased phytodetritus) in the deep sea. The higher taxonomic distinctness, Fisher{\textquoteright}s diversity, and number of genera at the control sites, together with the fact that they were environmentally more heterogeneous, suggest that megafaunal organisms play an important role in creating microhabitats in the sediment and significantly influence deep-sea nematode assemblages. However, the lack of any changes in species richness inside the cages after 4 years suggests that they cannot fully account for the maintenance of the remarkable high levels of species coexistence in the deep sea. The key is more likely to be found in evolutionary history than actual ecology. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.},
	keywords = {Biodiversity, biological disturbance, caging experiment, sediment heterogeneity},
	doi = {DOI 10.1016/j.dsr.2007.12.001},
	author = {Gallucci, Fabiane and Fonseca, Gustavo and Soltwedel, Thomas}
}
@article {Gallucci:2008la,
	title = {Active colonisation of disturbed sediments by deep-sea nematodes: evidence for the patch mosaic model},
	journal = {Marine Ecology-Progress Series},
	volume = {367},
	year = {2008},
	pages = {173-183},
	publisher = {INTER-RESEARCH},
	address = {NORDBUNTE 23, D-21385 OLDENDORF LUHE, GERMANY},
	abstract = {An on-board experiment was performed during a research cruise to investigate the ability of deep-sea nematode species to actively colonise defaunated sediments. Small cylinders of 500 pm wire mesh filled with defaunated sediment were inserted into microcosms containing sediment with indigenous meiofauna collected from 1300 m depth in the Arctic Ocean. The defaunated sediments were either enriched with the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii, or remained unenriched. Samples from the defaunated sediment were taken after 9 and 17 d. As controls, microcosms with sediment containing the indigenous meiofauna but without an internal cylinder were also sampled at each time interval. Nematodes colonised both enriched and unenriched sediments with abundances of up to 20\% of the controls. Irrespective of the time of sampling, abundance and number of species were significantly higher in the enriched treatment, suggesting that the presence of food enhances colonisation and resilience. Nematode assemblages in the defaunated sediments were species-rich and differed from the controls. The majority of colonising species were rare or undetectable in the controls, suggesting that episodic disturbances may be necessary for their persistence in deep sea sediments. Colonisation was in part determined by species characteristics such as size and motility. At the same time, a large number of different species colonised the empty cylinders, resulting in poor similarity in community composition between replicates, particularly between samples enriched with diatoms. Our results indicate a poor predictability of community composition of recently disturbed sediments despite highly reproducible abundance and diversity patterns and lends experimental support to the existence of a spatio-temporal mosaic that emerges from highly localised colonisation patterns.},
	keywords = {Deep-sea, disturbance, Infauna migration, Microcosm experiments, nematodes, Patch dynamics, sediment},
	doi = {DOI 10.3354/meps07537},
	author = {Gallucci, Fabiane and Moens, Tom and Vanreusel, Ann and Fonseca, Gustavo}
}
@article {Fonseca:2009fv,
	title = {Regional patterns of nematode assemblages in the Arctic deep seas},
	journal = {Polar Biology},
	volume = {32},
	year = {2009},
	pages = {1345-1357},
	publisher = {SPRINGER},
	address = {233 SPRING ST, NEW YORK, NY 10013 USA},
	abstract = {Surface primary productivity and carbon flux in the Arctic Seas are higher along the warm Spitsbergen Water Current than along the ice-infested East Greenland Current. These contrasting oceanographic conditions are reflected in the deep-sea environment and may shape nematode assemblages. However, the paucity of samples in the Arctic deep seas precludes any regional scale assessment. In the present study, nematode assemblages were investigated in relation to a range of environmental variables along the 2,000 m isobath between latitudes 72A degrees N and 79A degrees N for both East and Western margins of the northern North Atlantic. Results showed that both margins had distinct environmental characteristics, with respect to chloroplastic pigments, sediment water content, sediment-bound organic matter, phospholipids and particulate proteins. Nematode assemblages varied according to these environmental changes. Along the more oligotrophic western margin, chloroplastic pigments increased towards the North, while the other environmental variables, nematode abundances and species richness decreased. In contrast, along the eastern margin, we observed higher quantities of organic matter and particulate protein, which supported higher abundance and species richness. Nematode assemblages along both margins varied according to food availability with species composition more variable in areas with lower amounts. Seventy percent of the species occurred in both margins indicating a low turnover of species. The present results support the hypothesis of a positive latitudinal gradient across the North Atlantic and further suggest that contemporary climate and recent ecological processes may predict nematode diversity patterns at larger scales.},
	keywords = {Arctic benthos, Arctic marine ecology, biogeography, deep sea, Latitudinal variations, species diversity},
	doi = {DOI 10.1007/s00300-009-0631-4},
	author = {Fonseca, Gustavo and Soltwedel, Thomas}
}
@article {Fonseca:2007eq,
	title = {Species richness of the genus Molgolaimus (Nematoda) from local to ocean scale along continental slopes},
	journal = {Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective},
	volume = {28},
	year = {2007},
	pages = {446-459},
	publisher = {BLACKWELL PUBLISHING},
	address = {9600 GARSINGTON RD, OXFORD OX4 2DQ, OXON, ENGLAND},
	abstract = {This study investigated the distribution of Molgolaimus species (Nematoda) at different hierarchical spatial scales and observed the turnover of species along bathymetrical transects and among transects in two separate geographical regions. Samples from six transects (200-2000 m) from the Southern Oceans (SO) and four bathymetric transects (50-2000 m) from the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) were compared. Of the 30 species recorded, only one was common to both regions. WIO had higher local species richness than the SO. In both regions, the local scale was the greatest contributor to the total species richness. In the SO, there was no difference between species turnover at the different spatial scales, however, in the WIO, the turnover along bathymetrical transects was higher than among separated transects. For the particular genus studied, the evidence suggests that the study area in WIO has more widespread species and was better sampled, while the SO has many restricted species and it is most probably characterized by different biogeographical provinces. At the ocean scale (i.e. WIO versus SO), evolutionary histories may have strongly influenced nematodes species composition, while at local and regional scales, ecological processes are probably promoting species co-existence and speciation. The high co-existence of certain species at local scale is partially explained by species preference for different sediment layers.},
	keywords = {additive partitioning, biogeography, ocean floor, Southern Ocean, turnover of species, Western Indian Ocean},
	doi = {DOI 10.1111/j.1439-0485.2007.00202.x},
	author = {Fonseca, Gustavo and Muthumbi, Agnes W. and Vanreusel, Ann}
}
