Marine life & biodiversity
Like on land, habitats in our ocean differ in diversity and functioning. We unravel the ecology of communities and how communities are shaped by environmental and biological interactions over time. Similar to tropical reef systems, reef-building organisms like cold-water corals, sponges, and mussels can also shape the deep-sea environment, forming biodiversity and biomass hotspots, some of which are currently under threat due to increased anthropogenic disturbance. We investigate deep-sea faunal biogeography and biodiversity and explore the influence of productivity, stress, and disturbance on diversity.
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Abyssal plains
Despite the extreme environmental conditions that characterise the abyssal environment at four to six kilometres depth, polymetallic nodule fields on the abyssal seafloor harbour extremely diverse faunal communities. We explore diversity and connectivity of fauna associated with natural and artificial nodules. This research is relevant in light of increasing international efforts in mineral prospecting in the deep-sea.Â
Contact person: Henko de Stigter | Sabine Gollner.
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Abyssal plains
Despite the extreme environmental conditions that characterise the abyssal environment at four to six kilometres depth, polymetallic nodule fields on the abyssal seafloor harbour extremely diverse faunal communities. We explore diversity and connectivity of fauna associated with natural and artificial nodules. This research is relevant in light of increasing international efforts in mineral prospecting in the deep-sea.Â
Contact person: Henko de Stigter | Sabine Gollner.
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