Abstract
Deep-sea ecosystems are particularly important to the cycling of matter and energy in the oceans and therefore in regulating Earth's climate. The Atlantic Ocean is already experiencing significant abiotic changes, with expected warmer temperatures coupled with decreased particulate organic carbon (POC) export flux. However, there is yet a large gap in our understanding of warming impacts on deep benthic ecosystems and in the organic matter processing by benthic organisms in the seafloor. This study employed an experimental approach to assess the single and cumulative effects of two climate change stressors, temperature and POC quality, on macrofaunal benthic assemblages in the Cabo Verde Basin (CVB, Equatorial Atlantic) bathyal continental slope. Incubation enrichment experiments with 13C and 15N labelled diatoms Phaeodactylum tricornutum simulated climate projections for the next century with a balanced design, studying the effect of either increased temperature (+2°C), reduced POC quality (dialysed labile f
Original language | English |
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Article number | 103352 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Progress in Oceanography |
Volume | 229 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2024 |
Keywords
- climate change
- continental slope
- deap-sea macrofauna
- equatorial Atlantic
- OM quality
- δ13C
- δ15N
- Atlantic Ocean
- Atlantic Ocean (equatorial)
- Cabo Verde
- anthropogenic
- biotic
- carbon qualities
- deep sea
- macrofauna
- particulate organic carbon
- Δ13C
- Δ15N
- carbon isotope
- community dynamics
- deep-sea organism
- ecosystem function
- nitrogen isotope
- organic matter
- abiotic