CenSeam, an International Program on Seamounts within the Census of Marine Life: achievements and lessons learned

• Published in: PloS one 2012-02, Vol.7 (2), p.e32031-e32031
• Main Authors: Stocks, Karen I, Clark, Malcolm R, Rowden, Ashley A, Consalvey, Mireille, Schlacher, Thomas A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthozoa; Aquatic Organisms; Atmospheric research; Biogeography; Biology; Censuses; Cobalt; Computer Science; Conservation; Cooperative Behavior; Deep sea; Ecosystems; Fisheries; Fishing; Geological Phenomena; Internationality; Marine biology; Marine conservation; Oceans; Oceans and Seas; Overview; Science; Science - economics; Science - education; Science - methods; Science Policy; Scientific research; Seamounts; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Tectonics
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032031

About the Authors: Karen I. Stocks * E-mail: [e-mail] Affiliation: San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America Malcolm R. Clark Affiliation: National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand Ashley A. Rowden Affiliation: National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand Mireille Consalvey Affiliation: National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand Thomas A. Schlacher Affiliation: Faculty of Science, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Australia Introduction Seamounts (undersea mountains) continue to be focal areas for marine science, encompassing research that ranges from plate tectonics, oceanic convective heat budgets, the physical structure and dynamics of the ocean's water masses, and the composition of the ancient atmosphere [1]–[5]. [...]impacts from bottom-contact fishing can be massive, and recovery times may be in the range of decades to centuries [26]. What factors drive community composition and diversity on seamounts, including any differences between seamounts and other habitat types? * Do community composition and diversity differ between seamounts in different regions, and what environmental factors cause large-scale geographic patterns? * How important are differences in dispersal capabilities in producing spatial differences in species composition on seamounts? * What environmental factors (e.g. hydrodynamic regimes, substrate age and type) cause differences in diversity and species composition of seamount fauna at the scale of individual seamounts? * Are seamounts centers of high biological productivity? * Are seamounts characterized by unique trophic architecture? Some of CenSeam's key outcomes include having: * Initiated and strengthened global collaborative research; * Expanded global seamount sampling to regions with little biological sampling; * Provided high-quality science to inform conservation planning and resource management of seamounts; * Developed the first global, integrated database of seamount biogeography; * Enhanced discovery and taxonomic description of new species; * Enhanced training, especially in the area of species identification; * Increased scientific and public awareness of seamounts and the wider deep-sea environment; * Shaped a new set of paradigms about seamount ecosystems; * Supported scientific research and publications, which together sh