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Macrofaunal diversity in the Central Indian Ocean Basin

DRS at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography

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Title Macrofaunal diversity in the Central Indian Ocean Basin
 
Creator Pavithran, S.
Ingole, B.S.
Nanajkar, M.
Nath, B.N.
 
Description The deep-sea is characterized by four stable physical variables: hydrostatic pressure, temperature, salinity and oxygen. This harsh environment is comprised of diverse benthic faunal groups. Presently these organisms are at threat due to the increasing interest of mankind in the non-living resources and destructive deep-sea fishing practices present in these areas. The polymetallic nodule is one such resource, looked upon as an alternative to land-based minerals. The Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) abyss is densely covered with these nodules. Commercial mining can cause danger to the species present, some of which may be as yet unknown to science. The deep-sea fauna in the CIOB is the least studied among the three oceans; hence, the aim of the current work is to investigate the composition and feeding patterns of the macrofauna in the CIOB. A total of 27 species were obtained in the current study with a dominance of polychaetes. The CIOB was composed of deposit feeding macrofauna, this is supported by the positive correlation between fauna and sediment organic carbon (p less than 0.05). Compared to the other oceans, the density of macrofauna is low in CIOB, since it is sustained by low surface primary productivity.
 
Date 2008-01-30T13:25:09Z
2008-01-30T13:25:09Z
2007
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Biodiversity, Vol.8; 11-16p.
http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/683
 
Language en
 
Publisher Anon