Sea of Japan Biodiversity Studies (SoJaBio)
Final Report Abstract
Knowledge of species, biodiversity and biogeography are central topics in estimating changes in and extending our knowledge about the deep sea. However, deep-sea expeditions are expensive and time-consuming, and the deep Sea of Japan has been rarely sampled in the deep-sea. We had the opportunity of extensive, standardized sampling and thus extending our knowledge about species, biodiversity and biogeography in the deep Sea of Japan. In August 2010, we therefore sampled 13 stations with 24 deployments by the means of an epibenthic sledge onboard the RV Akademik Lavrentyev. We sieved the samples through 300 µm sieves and fixed the material of the first deployment of each station in 96% Ethanol, the second in Formalin. At the Marine Institute in Vladivostok and the Zoological Museum Hamburg, the samples were sorted to class level and the Isopoda determined to species level. The data was analyzed on class level and for peracarids on species level. A new species was described, a known but poorly described species redescribed and the diversity analyzed. Finally, the population structure of the highly abundant species Eurycope spinifrons Gurjanova, 1933 was studied. We found that the classes Malacostraca, Polychaeta and Ophiuroidea are the most abundant; Isopoda were the most abundant peracarid order. At the shallowest stations, Ophiuroidea dominated, while only Polychaeta, Isopoda, and Tanaidacea increased in abundance with depth. Additionally, we studied the distribution of all Peracarid taxa on species level. The abundance of most species decreases with depth, but the abundance of one isopod and two tanaid species increases with depth. These species are hypothesized to start the colonization of the deep sea in this early stage of succession. Within the isopod family of Murmopsidae, a new species was described and the highly abundant deep-sea species E. spinifrons was redescribed. Lastly, we studied the population structure of this species. It is the only isopod species occurring below 1500 m depth. We found that the majority of the individuals in our samples were in the manca stage of their development. There was a positive correlation between the length of females and the size of the brood they were carrying. Thirdly, we found a significant difference in the average length of species living at the shallowest station samples (~500 m) and all deeper stations. The studies make it possible to gain insight into the colonization of a isolated deep-sea area. We foimd a low diversity concerning isopods and peracarid crustaceans in general below the depth of 1500 m. Therefore, we hypothesize that the deep Sea of Japan is still in an early stage of succession after its geologically recent forming and anoxia until about 8000 years ago. Beyond the time-frame of this project, more studies will be carried out with the SoJaBio-material, both directly and indirectly. Currently, two new species of the isopod family Paramunnidae are described. The biodiversity of the different stations will be studied in greater detail using among others bioenviroimiental analysis and taxonomie distinctness. Finally, the biogeography of the species and genera we found in our material will be studied. Indirectly, the biodiversity and biogeography of the organisms sampled during the KuramBio expedition from July to September 2012 will be studied and then compared to the findings of the SoJaBio-material. The peracarid diversity in the deep Sea of Japan below 1500 m is very low due to the geologically young age of the marginal sea and the recent anoxia.
Publications
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2012. Alone in the dark: Distribution, population structure and reproductive mode of the dominant isopod Eurycope spinifrons Gurjanova, 1933 (Isopoda: Asellota: Munnopsidae) from bathyal and abyssal depths of the Sea of Japan
Elsner N.O., Golovan O.A., Malyutina M.V., Brandt A.
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2012. Description of Baeonectes brandtae sp. nov. and redescription of Eurycope spinifrons Gurjanova, 1933 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Munnopsidae) from the deep-sea basin of the Sea of Japan
Malyutina, M., Golovan, O.A., Elsner, N.O.
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2012. Diversity and distribution of peracarid crustaceans (Malacostraca) from the continental slope and the deep-sea basin of the Sea of Japan
Golovan, O.A., Blazewicz-Paszkowycz, M., Brandt, A., Budnikova, L.L., Elsner, N.O., Ivin, V.V., Lavrenteva, A.V., Malyutina, M.V., Petryashov, V.V., Tzareva, L.A.
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2012. Epifauna of the Sea of Japan collected via a new epibenthic sledge equipped with camera and environmental sensor systems
Brandt, A., Elsner, N., Brenke, N., Golovan, O., Malyutina, M.V., Riehl, T., Schwabe, E., Würzberg, L.
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SoJaBio (Sea of Japan Biodiversity Studies); Deep sea research., Part II. [Oxford] : Elsevier, 2013
Marina V Malyutina; Angelika Brandt (eds.)
