Gaidropsarus mauritanicus (Gadiformes, Gaidropsaridae) a new three-bearded rockling from a deep-water coral ecosystem with a genetically verified biogeographical distribution of the genus and notes to its ecology and behavior.

Gaidropsarus mauritanicus sp. nov. is described from one specimen collected using a grab sample from the Tanoûdêrt Canyon (ca.

Trophic ecology of Angolan cold-water coral reefs (SE Atlantic) based on stable isotope analyses.

Cold-water coral (CWC) reefs of the Angolan margin (SE Atlantic) are dominated by Desmophyllum pertusum and support a diverse community of associated fauna, despite hypoxic conditions. In this study, we use carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses (δC and δN) to decipher the trophic network of this relatively unknown CWC province. Although fresh phytodetritus is available to the reef, δN signatures indicate that CWCs (12.

A new amphipod species of the bathyal genus Dautzenbergia Chevreux, 1900 (Amphipoda, Calliopioidea, Pontogeneiidae) associated with cold-water corals off Angola.

A new species of pontogeneiid amphipod, Dautzenbergia concavipalma sp. nov., is described from cold-water corals off Angola.

A new octocoral species of (Holaxonia, Plexauridae) from the upper bathyal off Mauritania (NE Atlantic).

Three species of the genus are known for the NE Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) surveys and sampling on board RV Maria S. Merian during cruise MSM 16/3 'PHAETON' in 2010 provided footage and specimens of octocorals off Mauritania.

High-resolution imaging sheds new light on a multi-tier symbiotic partnership between a "walking" solitary coral, a sipunculan, and a bivalve from East Africa.

Marine symbioses are integral to the persistence of ecosystem functioning in coral reefs. Solitary corals of the species and have been observed to live in symbiosis with the sipunculan worm , which inhabits a cavity within the coral, in Zanzibar (Tanzania). The symbiosis of these photosymbiotic corals enables the coral holobiont to move, in fine to coarse unconsolidated substrata, a process termed as "walking.

Exploring confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and fluorescence staining as a tool for imaging and quantifying traces of marine microbioerosion and their trace-making microendoliths.

Microscopic organisms that penetrate calcareous structures by actively dissolving the carbonate matrix, namely microendoliths, have an important influence on the breakdown of marine carbonates. The study of these microorganisms and the bioerosion traces they produce is crucial for understanding the impact of their bioeroding activity on the carbonate recycling in environments under global climate change. Traditionally, either the extracted microendoliths were studied by conventional microscopy or their traces were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of epoxy resin casts.

Climate-induced changes in the suitable habitat of cold-water corals and commercially important deep-sea fishes in the North Atlantic.

The deep sea plays a critical role in global climate regulation through uptake and storage of heat and carbon dioxide. However, this regulating service causes warming, acidification and deoxygenation of deep waters, leading to decreased food availability at the seafloor. These changes and their projections are likely to affect productivity, biodiversity and distributions of deep-sea fauna, thereby compromising key ecosystem services.

Last snails standing since the Early Pleistocene, a tale of Calliostomatidae (Gastropoda) living in deep-water coral habitats in the north-eastern Atlantic.

Three species in the gastropod genus Calliostoma are confirmed as living in Deep-Water Coral (DWC) habitats in the NE Atlantic Ocean: Calliostoma bullatum (Philippi, 1844), C. maurolici (Seguenza, 1876) and C. leptophyma Dautzenberg Fischer, 1896.

Census of Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) of the Azores (NE Atlantic) with a nomenclature update.

Zoological nomenclature revisions are essential for biodiversity studies and indispensable to avoid naming and description of already described species and should be valued in all subsequent studies considering biology, molecular biology, ecology or habitat mapping of deep-sea species. Herein, a thorough revision of the taxonomic literature on Octocorallia since the beginning of deep-sea exploration in the Azores is provided. Since 1870, when the first octocoral, Virgularia mirabilis (Müller, 1776), was recorded in the Azores a cyclic pattern on the taxonomical study of octocorals reveals the deep-sea investigation efforts made on the region at different periods: Prince Albert I of Monaco, Biaçores and recent expeditions.

Cold-water corals off Angola as refuge for a new Aeginella species (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Caprellidae).

A new species of caprellid amphipod, Aeginella corallina sp. nov., is described from cold-water corals off Angola.

Testing the applicability of a benthic foraminiferal-based transfer function for the reconstruction of paleowater depth changes in Rhodes (Greece) during the early Pleistocene.

We present paleo-water depth reconstructions for the Pefka E section deposited on the island of Rhodes (Greece) during the early Pleistocene. For these reconstructions, a transfer function (TF) using modern benthic foraminifera surface samples from the Adriatic and Western Mediterranean Seas has been developed. The TF model gives an overall predictive accuracy of ~50 m over a water depth range of ~1200 m.

Cladorhiza corallophila sp. nov., a new carnivorous sponge (Cladorhizidae, Demospongiae) living in close association with Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata (Scleractinia).

In this study, we describe a new species of cladorhizid sponge, which shows a very peculiar mode of life: It always occurs in association with the scleractinian cold-water corals Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata. Although the sponge lives in nutrient-rich areas, we document its carnivorous feeding behavior. The identity of the new species was verified using molecular markers: the species is very closely related to the North-Atlantic Cladorhiza abyssicola, but it differs distinctly, and forms a monophyletic clade.

Some species of Munidopsis from the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Straits and Caribbean Sea (Decapoda: Munidopsidae), with the description of two new species.

During two cruises to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, some specimens of squat lobsters belonging to the genus Munidopsis Whiteaves, 1874 (family Munidopsidae Ortmann, 1898) were collected. The present collection comprises five species, where two are considered as new species: M. karukera, closely related to M.

Laser Ablation - Accelerator Mass Spectrometry: An Approach for Rapid Radiocarbon Analyses of Carbonate Archives at High Spatial Resolution.

A new instrumental setup, combining laser ablation (LA) with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), has been investigated for the online radiocarbon ((14)C) analysis of carbonate records. Samples were placed in an in-house designed LA-cell, and CO2 gas was produced by ablation using a 193 nm ArF excimer laser. The (14)C/(12)C abundance ratio of the gas was then analyzed by gas ion source AMS.

Two new species of erect Bryozoa (Gymnolaemata: Cheilostomata) and the application of non-destructive imaging methods for quantitative taxonomy.

Two new species of cheilostome Bryozoa are described from continental-slope habitats off Mauritania, including canyon and cold-water coral (mound) habitats. Internal structures of both species were visualised and quantified using microcomputed tomographic (micro-CT) methods. Cellaria bafouri n.

Effects of water depth, seasonal exposure, and substrate orientation on microbial bioerosion in the Ionian Sea (Eastern Mediterranean).

The effects of water depth, seasonal exposure, and substrate orientation on microbioerosion were studied by means of a settlement experiment deployed in 15, 50, 100, and 250 m water depth south-west of the Peloponnese Peninsula (Greece). At each depth, an experimental platform was exposed for a summer period, a winter period, and about an entire year. On the up- and down-facing side of each platform, substrates were fixed to document the succession of bioerosion traces, and to measure variations in bioerosion and accretion rates.

Bryozoans from RV Sonne deep-sea cruises SO 167 'Louisville' and SO 205 'Mangan'.

The German research vessel Sonne is operating in the Pacific, Southern and Indian Oceans. In the current stage of development in Pacific deep-sea mining projects, prior understanding of biodiversity patterns in the affected regions is one of the major research goals of the RV Sonne cruises. In the present study, nine bryozoan species are reported from the Equatorial East Pacific and the Kermadec-Tonga Ridge, collected during RV Sonne cruises SO 167 "Louisville" and SO 205 "Mangan", from 356-4007 m.

Mapping cold-water coral habitats at different scales within the Northern Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean): an assessment of coral coverage and associated vulnerability.

In this study, we mapped the distribution of Cold-Water Coral (CWC) habitats on the northern Ionian Margin (Mediterranean Sea), with an emphasis on assessing coral coverage at various spatial scales over an area of 2,000 km(2) between 120 and 1,400 m of water depth. Our work made use of a set of data obtained from ship-based research surveys. Multi-scale seafloor mapping data, video inspections, and previous results from sediment samples were integrated and analyzed using Geographic Information System (GIS)-based tools.

Desmophyllum dianthus (Esper, 1794) in the scleractinian phylogeny and its intraspecific diversity.

The cosmopolitan solitary deep-water scleractinian coral Desmophyllum dianthus (Esper, 1794) was selected as a representative model species of the polyphyletic Caryophylliidae family to (1) examine phylogenetic relationships with respect to the principal Scleractinia taxa, (2) check population structure, (3) test the widespread connectivity hypothesis and (4) assess the utility of different nuclear and mitochondrial markers currently in use. To carry out these goals, DNA sequence data from nuclear (ITS and 28S) and mitochondrial (16S and COI) markers were analyzed for several coral species and for Mediterranean populations of D. dianthus.

Ocean acidification accelerates reef bioerosion.

In the recent discussion how biotic systems may react to ocean acidification caused by the rapid rise in carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO(2)) in the marine realm, substantial research is devoted to calcifiers such as stony corals. The antagonistic process - biologically induced carbonate dissolution via bioerosion - has largely been neglected. Unlike skeletal growth, we expect bioerosion by chemical means to be facilitated in a high-CO(2) world.

Reefs of the deep: the biology and geology of cold-water coral ecosystems.

Coral reefs are generally associated with shallow tropical seas; however, recent deep-ocean exploration using advanced acoustics and submersibles has revealed unexpectedly widespread and diverse coral ecosystems in deep waters on continental shelves, slopes, seamounts, and ridge systems around the world. Advances reviewed here include the use of corals as paleoclimatic archives and their biogeological functioning, biodiversity, and biogeography. Threats to these fragile, long-lived, and rich ecosystems are mounting: The impacts of deep-water trawling are already widespread, and effects of ocean acidification are potentially devastating.