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Composition of macrobenthos from the central Indian Ocean Basin

DRS at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography

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Title Composition of macrobenthos from the central Indian Ocean Basin
 
Creator Pavithran, S.
Ingole, B.S.
Nanajkar, M.
Raghukumar, C.
Nath, B.N.
Valsangkar, A.B.
 
Subject macrobenthos
latitudinal distribution
Central Indian Ocean
faunal diversity
 
Description The deep sea is well known for its high faunal diversity. But the current interest in its abundant polymetallic nodules, poses a threat to the little known benthic organisms surviving in this unique environment. The present study is the first attempt to document the Indian Ocean abyssal benthic diversity of macroinvertebrates and to investigate its relation to the surface primary production (chl-a), sediment labile organic matter, organic carbon and texture. The present study is based on 87 individuals. Altogether 39 macroinvertebrate genera were obtained from water depths of 4500-5500m from 23 box cores. Reduction in macrobenthic density was seen towards the southern latitudes. The area was dominated by deposit feeding macrobenthos. Vertically, the fauna was distributed down to 30 cm depth, with the highest faunal density in the top 2-5 cm sediment section. The values for population density were strongly correlated with surface water chl-a and sediment protein, indicating supply of fresh organic matter as a critical factor for maintaining the deep sea benthic diversity and abundance
 
Date 2009-12-08T07:14:45Z
2009-12-08T07:14:45Z
2009
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Journal of Earth System Science, vol.118(6); 689-700
http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/3465
 
Language en
 
Rights ? Indian Academy of Sciences [2009]. All efforts have been made to respect the copyright to the best of our
knowledge. Inadvertent omissions, if brought to our notice, stand for correction and withdrawal of document from this repository.
 
Publisher Indian Academy of Sciences