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Deep sea benthic bioluminescence at artificial food falls, 1,000–4,800 m depth, in the Porcupine Seabight and Abyssal Plain, North East Atlantic Ocean

Deep sea benthic bioluminescence at artificial food falls, 1,000–4,800 m depth, in the Porcupine Seabight and Abyssal Plain, North East Atlantic Ocean
Deep sea benthic bioluminescence at artificial food falls, 1,000–4,800 m depth, in the Porcupine Seabight and Abyssal Plain, North East Atlantic Ocean
Natural bioluminescence (that not mechanically stimulated by human intervention) produced by organisms on the seafloor of the northeast Atlantic ocean between 970 and 4,800 m depth was examined using an image intensifying (ISIT) camera mounted on an autonomous lander system. In the absence of bait little or no luminescence was observed but with bait present there was a significant inverse relationship with depth, Log10 (1 + number of events h-1) = 1.7627–0.3235 depth (km) (r2 = 0.8158, P < 0.001) indicating an average of 2.6 events h-1 at 4 km and 28 h-1 at 1 km. But in an area at ca. 1 km depth near carbonate and coral mounds the mean was 133 events h-1, much higher than predicted. In this bioluminescent hot spot 52–483 events h-1 were observed including moving luminescent targets and release of patches of luminescent material into the water around the bait so that on occasions the whole area around the bait was illuminated persisting on a time scale of minutes. At abyssal depths, luminescence was much less than reported at similar depths in the tropical NE Atlantic off Cape Verde. The sources of luminescence could not be determined but in the most active areas were associated with presence of eels Synaphobranchus kaupii which although themselves not luminescent may have stimulated luminescence from prey organisms such as ostracods (Vargula norvegica).
0025-3162
1053-1060
Gillibrand, E.J.V.
ccd42c20-c386-4690-96d0-3fc194365dd0
Bagley, P.
4e28ac9d-65b5-4dbd-8f4c-b6088bf08f25
Jamieson, A.
46cb8dc6-2e94-47ba-9186-d03e864365a3
Herring, P.J.
1721d764-adb4-41af-8e62-43a7e1b9c291
Partridge, J.C.
313079c1-40a7-407f-97f3-0a3af8e0db31
Collins, M.A.
2479c525-3696-4d7b-9300-b5b21546359b
Milne, R.
37b95431-12f3-4aa7-86f8-a632825df7ae
Priede, I.G.
b47c14e5-fac9-406e-9b81-4e55fbeb5b8f
Gillibrand, E.J.V.
ccd42c20-c386-4690-96d0-3fc194365dd0
Bagley, P.
4e28ac9d-65b5-4dbd-8f4c-b6088bf08f25
Jamieson, A.
46cb8dc6-2e94-47ba-9186-d03e864365a3
Herring, P.J.
1721d764-adb4-41af-8e62-43a7e1b9c291
Partridge, J.C.
313079c1-40a7-407f-97f3-0a3af8e0db31
Collins, M.A.
2479c525-3696-4d7b-9300-b5b21546359b
Milne, R.
37b95431-12f3-4aa7-86f8-a632825df7ae
Priede, I.G.
b47c14e5-fac9-406e-9b81-4e55fbeb5b8f

Gillibrand, E.J.V., Bagley, P., Jamieson, A., Herring, P.J., Partridge, J.C., Collins, M.A., Milne, R. and Priede, I.G. (2007) Deep sea benthic bioluminescence at artificial food falls, 1,000–4,800 m depth, in the Porcupine Seabight and Abyssal Plain, North East Atlantic Ocean. Marine Biology, 150 (6), 1053-1060. (doi:10.1007/s00227-006-0407-0).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Natural bioluminescence (that not mechanically stimulated by human intervention) produced by organisms on the seafloor of the northeast Atlantic ocean between 970 and 4,800 m depth was examined using an image intensifying (ISIT) camera mounted on an autonomous lander system. In the absence of bait little or no luminescence was observed but with bait present there was a significant inverse relationship with depth, Log10 (1 + number of events h-1) = 1.7627–0.3235 depth (km) (r2 = 0.8158, P < 0.001) indicating an average of 2.6 events h-1 at 4 km and 28 h-1 at 1 km. But in an area at ca. 1 km depth near carbonate and coral mounds the mean was 133 events h-1, much higher than predicted. In this bioluminescent hot spot 52–483 events h-1 were observed including moving luminescent targets and release of patches of luminescent material into the water around the bait so that on occasions the whole area around the bait was illuminated persisting on a time scale of minutes. At abyssal depths, luminescence was much less than reported at similar depths in the tropical NE Atlantic off Cape Verde. The sources of luminescence could not be determined but in the most active areas were associated with presence of eels Synaphobranchus kaupii which although themselves not luminescent may have stimulated luminescence from prey organisms such as ostracods (Vargula norvegica).

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Published date: March 2007

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Local EPrints ID: 49697
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/49697
ISSN: 0025-3162
PURE UUID: 8562448d-7bc5-41ac-a89d-e904951abfd2

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Date deposited: 22 Nov 2007
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 09:58

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Contributors

Author: E.J.V. Gillibrand
Author: P. Bagley
Author: A. Jamieson
Author: P.J. Herring
Author: J.C. Partridge
Author: M.A. Collins
Author: R. Milne
Author: I.G. Priede

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