DOCSLIB.ORG

DIVERSITY of MARINE SPONGES in the NORTHWEST ATLANTIC By

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
DIVERSITY of MARINE SPONGES in the NORTHWEST ATLANTIC By DIVERSITY OF MARINE SPONGES IN THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC by Susanna Drake Fuller Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia March 2011 © Copyright by Susanna Drake Fuller, 2011 DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY The undersigned hereby certify that they have read and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for acceptance a thesis entitled “DIVERSITY OF MARINE SPONGES IN THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC” by Susanna Drake Fuller, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Dated: March 4, 2011 External Examiner: _________________________________ Research Supervisor: _________________________________ Examining Committee: _________________________________ _________________________________ Departmental Representative: _________________________________ ii DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY DATE: March 4, 2011 AUTHOR: Susanna Drake Fuller TITLE: DIVERSITY OF MARINE SPONGES IN THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC DEPARTMENT OR SCHOOL: Department of Biology DEGREE: PhD. CONVOCATION: May YEAR: 2011 Permission is herewith granted to Dalhousie University to circulate and to have copied for non-commercial purposes, at its discretion, the above title upon the request of individuals or institutions. I understand that my thesis will be electronically available to the public. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither the thesis nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author’s written permission. The author attests that permission has been obtained for the use of any copyrighted material appearing in the thesis (other than the brief excerpts requiring only proper acknowledgement in scholarly writing), and that all such use is clearly acknowledged. _______________________________ Signature of Author iii This thesis is dedicated to Ransom A. Myers, and my mother, Judith Rivinus Fuller, who would both be glad to know it is finally finished. It is also dedicated to Daniel Kehler, who inspired me to do graduate work in the first place. iv Table of Contents List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... x Abstract .............................................................................................................................. xiii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ xiv Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2 Habitat Engineering by Sessile Marine Invertebrates: Associated Faunal Diversity and Broad Scale Patterns .................................................................................... 7 2.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 7 2.1 Ecosystem Engineering Activities ........................................................................... 11 2.2 Habitat Provision ...................................................................................................... 13 2.2.1 Individual Host Effects on Associated Fauna ..................................................... 14 2.2.2 Patterns Between Host Groups ............................................................................ 17 2.2.3 Skeletal Material as Habitat ................................................................................. 22 2.2.4 Topographical Complexity .................................................................................. 23 2.2.5 Sedimentation Facilitation ................................................................................... 26 2.3 Broad Scale Patterns of Associated Faunal Diversity ........................................... 28 2.3.1 Latitudinal Gradients ........................................................................................... 30 2.3.2 Depth Gradients ................................................................................................... 33 2.3.3 Host Volume ........................................................................................................ 35 2.4 Nursery Areas, Community Selection and Evolutionary Consequences ............ 36 2.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 41 Chapter 3 Distribution and Ecosystem Function in Deep-water Structural Species, Based on Local Ecological Knowledge: Implications for Conservation and Management ........................................................................................................................ 55 3.0 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 55 3.1 Methods ..................................................................................................................... 59 3.2 Results ........................................................................................................................ 62 3.2.1 Selection of Interview Participants ...................................................................... 62 3.2.2 Fishing History: Gear Type, Target Species and Area Fished ............................ 62 3.2.3 Knowledge of Distribution of Corals and Sponges ............................................. 64 3.2.4 Ecological Observations of Corals and Sponges ................................................. 66 3.2.5 Fishing Impacts and Changes to the Marine Environment ................................. 66 3.3 Discussion .................................................................................................................. 68 3.3.1 Fishermen’s Contributions to Sponge and Coral Ecology .................................. 69 3.3.2 Linking Fishermen’s Knowledge and Scientific Research.................................. 71 3.3.3 Using LEK in Fisheries Management and Marine Conservation ........................ 73 3.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 76 v Chapter 4 Sponge Distribution and Diversity in the Northwest Atlantic: Analysis of Fisheries Observer and Research Trawl Data ............................................. 92 4.0 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 92 4.1 Methods ..................................................................................................................... 94 4.1.1 Data Availability ................................................................................................. 94 4.1.2 Fisheries Observer Data ...................................................................................... 95 4.1.3 Identification of Sponge Samples ........................................................................ 96 4.2 Results ........................................................................................................................ 97 4.2.1 Fisheries Observer Data ...................................................................................... 97 4.2.2 Trawl Survey Data ............................................................................................... 99 4.3 Discussion ................................................................................................................ 101 4.3.1 Data Availability and Limitations ..................................................................... 101 4.3.2 Sponge Research in the Northwest Atlantic ...................................................... 102 4.3.3 Impacts of Fishing on Sponges .......................................................................... 102 Chapter 5 A Unique Monspecific Population of Vazella pourtalesi (Schmidt, 1870) (Porifera: Hexactinellida) on the Scotian Shelf, Northwest Atlantic ........................... 119 5.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 119 5.1 Methods ................................................................................................................... 121 5.1.1 Study Area ......................................................................................................... 121 5.1.2 Data Collection .................................................................................................. 121 5.2 Results & Discussion .............................................................................................. 124 5.2.1 Species Description ........................................................................................... 124 5.2.2 Geographical Distribution ................................................................................. 125 5.2.3 Bottom Substrate ............................................................................................... 126 5.2.4 Currents ............................................................................................................. 127 5.2.5 Community Structure and Associated Megafauna ............................................ 128 5.2.6 Life Cycle and Reproduction ............................................................................. 128 5.2.7 Threats
Load more

Recommended publications
  • New Zealand Oceanographic Institute Memoir 100
    ISSN 0083-7903, 100 (Print) ISSN 2538-1016; 100 (Online) , , II COVER PHOTO. Dictyodendrilla cf. cavernosa (Lendenfeld, 1883) (type species of Dictyodendri/la Bergquist, 1980) (see page 24), from NZOI Stn I827, near Rikoriko Cave entrance, Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve. Photo: Ken Grange, NZOI. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF WATER AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH The Marine Fauna of New Zealand: Index to the Fauna 2. Porifera by ELLIOT W. DAWSON N .Z. Oceanographic Institute, Wellington New Zealand Oceanographic Institute Memoir 100 1993 • This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Cataloguing in publication DAWSON, E.W. The marine fauna of New Zealand: Index to the Fauna 2. Porifera / by Elliot W. Dawson - Wellington: New Zealand Oceanographic Institute, 1993. (New Zealand Oceanographic Institute memoir, ISSN 0083-7903, 100) ISBN 0-478-08310-6 I. Title II. Series UDC Series Editor Dennis P. Gordon Typeset by Rose-Marie C. Thompson NIWA Oceanographic (NZOI) National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Received for publication: 17 July 1991 © NIWA Copyright 1993 2 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT 5 INTRODUCTION 5 SCOPE AND ARRANGEMENT 7 SYSTEMATIC LIST 8 Class DEMOSPONGIAE 8 Subclass Homosclcromorpha ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Cape Wrath Survey
    Cape Wrath Survey diver & guillemot May 2002 marbled swimming crab Summary Report velvet crab & gooseberry seasquirts brittlestars in pitted limestone tideswept kelp forest lemon sole Cape Wrath Survey North Coast As well as being a famous nautical Sites 9, 19, 20 and 21 on the north coast were swept by strong currents, and exposed to waves from landmark, Cape Wrath marks a northerly directions. Cuvie kelp forests grew in shallow water, with dense red algae (Delesseria geographical and biological sanguinea, Plocamium cartilagineum, Phycodrys rubens and Odonthalia dentata) on stipes and on boundary between the exposed, rocks beneath. At the extremely exposed offshore rock Duslic (Site 19), clumps of blue mussels current-swept north coast and grew on kelp stipes, and breadcrumb sponge was common wrapped around kelp stipes at several Pentland Firth, and the more gentle sites. In deeper water, animal turfs covered rocks. Dominant animals varied from site to site, but waters of the Minch. The survey colonial and small solitary seasquirts were particularly abundant. At An Garb Eilean (Site 9), a small covered 24 sites spread over a island used by the military for target practice, north-east facing rock slopes were covered with dense large area of this spectacular part oaten-pipe sea fir Tubularia indivisa, together with abundant elegant anemones on vertical faces. of north-west Scotland. Where rocks were scoured by nearby sand, bushy sea mats Securiflustra securifrons and Flustra foliacea were common, with featherstars and scattered jewel anemones on vertical faces. Cape Wrath Faraid Head Cape Wrath (Site 15) proved as spectacular underwater as above, with wave-battered slopes covered with cuvie kelp Rock and boulders at Sites 10 and 11, slightly sheltered (Laminaria hyperborea), and a dense short turf of animals from the main current by offshore rocks had little beneath the kelp and in deeper water.
    [Show full text]
  • Brains of Primitive Chordates 439
    Brains of Primitive Chordates 439 Brains of Primitive Chordates J C Glover, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway although providing a more direct link to the evolu- B Fritzsch, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA tionary clock, is nevertheless hampered by differing ã 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. rates of evolution, both among species and among genes, and a still largely deficient fossil record. Until recently, it was widely accepted, both on morpholog- ical and molecular grounds, that cephalochordates Introduction and craniates were sister taxons, with urochordates Craniates (which include the sister taxa vertebrata being more distant craniate relatives and with hemi- and hyperotreti, or hagfishes) represent the most chordates being more closely related to echinoderms complex organisms in the chordate phylum, particu- (Figure 1(a)). The molecular data only weakly sup- larly with respect to the organization and function of ported a coherent chordate taxon, however, indicat- the central nervous system. How brain complexity ing that apparent morphological similarities among has arisen during evolution is one of the most chordates are imposed on deep divisions among the fascinating questions facing modern science, and it extant deuterostome taxa. Recent analysis of a sub- speaks directly to the more philosophical question stantially larger number of genes has reversed the of what makes us human. Considerable interest has positions of cephalochordates and urochordates, pro- therefore been directed toward understanding the moting the latter to the most closely related craniate genetic and developmental underpinnings of nervous relatives (Figure 1(b)). system organization in our more ‘primitive’ chordate relatives, in the search for the origins of the vertebrate Comparative Appearance of Brains, brain in a common chordate ancestor.
    [Show full text]
  • Taxonomy and Diversity of the Sponge Fauna from Walters Shoal, a Shallow Seamount in the Western Indian Ocean Region
    Taxonomy and diversity of the sponge fauna from Walters Shoal, a shallow seamount in the Western Indian Ocean region By Robyn Pauline Payne A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magister Scientiae in the Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape. Supervisors: Dr Toufiek Samaai Prof. Mark J. Gibbons Dr Wayne K. Florence The financial assistance of the National Research Foundation (NRF) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at, are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF. December 2015 Taxonomy and diversity of the sponge fauna from Walters Shoal, a shallow seamount in the Western Indian Ocean region Robyn Pauline Payne Keywords Indian Ocean Seamount Walters Shoal Sponges Taxonomy Systematics Diversity Biogeography ii Abstract Taxonomy and diversity of the sponge fauna from Walters Shoal, a shallow seamount in the Western Indian Ocean region R. P. Payne MSc Thesis, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape. Seamounts are poorly understood ubiquitous undersea features, with less than 4% sampled for scientific purposes globally. Consequently, the fauna associated with seamounts in the Indian Ocean remains largely unknown, with less than 300 species recorded. One such feature within this region is Walters Shoal, a shallow seamount located on the South Madagascar Ridge, which is situated approximately 400 nautical miles south of Madagascar and 600 nautical miles east of South Africa. Even though it penetrates the euphotic zone (summit is 15 m below the sea surface) and is protected by the Southern Indian Ocean Deep- Sea Fishers Association, there is a paucity of biodiversity and oceanographic data.
    [Show full text]
  • Isodictya Palmata Class: Demospongiae Order
    Remains of sponges can be found along the shoreline. Isodictya palmata Class: Demospongiae Order: Poecilosclerida Family: Isodictyidae Genus: Isodictya Distribution This species occurs in the Demospongiae is the most diverse class of sponges, including more boreal and sub-arctic North than 90% of the known species commonly known as Atlantic. It is widespread at demosponges. In this class the order Poecilosclerida is the largest both sides of the North and most diverse order, with 25 families and several thousand Atlantic Ocean, as far south species. One of these families is Isodictyidae. This family contains as the British Isles in the a great variety of species with a wide global distribution. The east and the Gulf of Main genus Isodictya is a North Atlantic species in this family. It is in the west. found from Newfoundland to North Carolina and occurs in Nova Scotian waters. Habitat For the most part sponges occur on bedrock. They attach They are benthic, living at themselves firmly to solid surfaces. The hard substrate is the bottom of seas, lakes or typically located at the base of rock cliffs and consists of rivers. At Burntcoat Head outcrops, boulders, and rock debris of decreasing size. This they occupy the species is most often seen on rocky locations at depths of 10 surrounding coastal area. metres and further down to about 37 metres. Depths vary with geographic location. Some other species range from intertidal to hadal depths. Food These are suspension Ambient water is drawn into the body of the sponge through feeders. Minute particles of minute openings (ostia).
    [Show full text]
  • E Urban Sanctuary Algae and Marine Invertebrates of Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary
    !e Urban Sanctuary Algae and Marine Invertebrates of Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary Jessica Reeves & John Buckeridge Published by: Greypath Productions Marine Care Ricketts Point PO Box 7356, Beaumaris 3193 Copyright © 2012 Marine Care Ricketts Point !is work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission of the publisher. Photographs remain copyright of the individual photographers listed. ISBN 978-0-9804483-5-1 Designed and typeset by Anthony Bright Edited by Alison Vaughan Printed by Hawker Brownlow Education Cheltenham, Victoria Cover photo: Rocky reef habitat at Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, David Reinhard Contents Introduction v Visiting the Sanctuary vii How to use this book viii Warning viii Habitat ix Depth x Distribution x Abundance xi Reference xi A note on nomenclature xii Acknowledgements xii Species descriptions 1 Algal key 116 Marine invertebrate key 116 Glossary 118 Further reading 120 Index 122 iii Figure 1: Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary. !e intertidal zone rocky shore platform dominated by the brown alga Hormosira banksii. Photograph: John Buckeridge. iv Introduction Most Australians live near the sea – it is part of our national psyche. We exercise in it, explore it, relax by it, "sh in it – some even paint it – but most of us simply enjoy its changing modes and its fascinating beauty. Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary comprises 115 hectares of protected marine environment, located o# Beaumaris in Melbourne’s southeast ("gs 1–2). !e sanctuary includes the coastal waters from Table Rock Point to Quiet Corner, from the high tide mark to approximately 400 metres o#shore.
    [Show full text]
  • Proposal for a Revised Classification of the Demospongiae (Porifera) Christine Morrow1 and Paco Cárdenas2,3*
    Morrow and Cárdenas Frontiers in Zoology (2015) 12:7 DOI 10.1186/s12983-015-0099-8 DEBATE Open Access Proposal for a revised classification of the Demospongiae (Porifera) Christine Morrow1 and Paco Cárdenas2,3* Abstract Background: Demospongiae is the largest sponge class including 81% of all living sponges with nearly 7,000 species worldwide. Systema Porifera (2002) was the result of a large international collaboration to update the Demospongiae higher taxa classification, essentially based on morphological data. Since then, an increasing number of molecular phylogenetic studies have considerably shaken this taxonomic framework, with numerous polyphyletic groups revealed or confirmed and new clades discovered. And yet, despite a few taxonomical changes, the overall framework of the Systema Porifera classification still stands and is used as it is by the scientific community. This has led to a widening phylogeny/classification gap which creates biases and inconsistencies for the many end-users of this classification and ultimately impedes our understanding of today’s marine ecosystems and evolutionary processes. In an attempt to bridge this phylogeny/classification gap, we propose to officially revise the higher taxa Demospongiae classification. Discussion: We propose a revision of the Demospongiae higher taxa classification, essentially based on molecular data of the last ten years. We recommend the use of three subclasses: Verongimorpha, Keratosa and Heteroscleromorpha. We retain seven (Agelasida, Chondrosiida, Dendroceratida, Dictyoceratida, Haplosclerida, Poecilosclerida, Verongiida) of the 13 orders from Systema Porifera. We recommend the abandonment of five order names (Hadromerida, Halichondrida, Halisarcida, lithistids, Verticillitida) and resurrect or upgrade six order names (Axinellida, Merliida, Spongillida, Sphaerocladina, Suberitida, Tetractinellida). Finally, we create seven new orders (Bubarida, Desmacellida, Polymastiida, Scopalinida, Clionaida, Tethyida, Trachycladida).
    [Show full text]
  • Travels on the Backbone Crest (A Group of Embryonic Cells)
    BOOKS & ARTS COMMENT EVOLUTION non-deuterostomes. In the most effective section, he strips vertebrates down to their parts, such as the nerve cord, notochord (fore- runner of the vertebral column) and neural Travels on the backbone crest (a group of embryonic cells). He even delves into the largely ignored gut and viscera. Chris Lowe lauds a study of vertebrate origins that Gee discusses how data from living and brings us up to date with a shifting field. fossilized hemichordates and echinoderms have facilitated the search for the origins of the defining chordate anatomies. He ome of the great remaining mysteries groups belong in the highlights how palaeontological, develop- in zoology concern origins — of multi- deuterostome lineage mental and genomic data now all support cellularity, complex nervous systems, of animals alongside the idea that the common ancestor of chor- Slife cycles and sex, for example. The chordates — have dates, hemichordates and echinoderms had evolutionary origin of vertebrates is among largely been resolved. pharyngeal gill slits for filter feeding. That the most intractable of these, despite more Others are as intrac- gives us a glimpse of the early chordate ances- than a century of work spanning a range of table as ever, including tor, which lived around 600 million years ago. disciplines and animal groups. where to place key fos- Other features, such as a complex brain, prob- In Across the Bridge, Henry Gee reviews sil groups such as the ably emerged much later. Having established the most recent research in this area. Gee curious vetulicolians, Across the Bridge: a hazy picture of the earliest chordates, Gee (the senior editor responsible for palae- which lived during Understanding focuses on building vertebrates and their the Origin of the ontology and evolutionary development the Cambrian period, Vertebrates defining features from the basic chordate at Nature) synthesizes contributions from some 541 million to HENRY GEE body plan, for example through spectacular anatomy, developmental biology, genomics, 485 million years ago.
    [Show full text]
  • Resembling Those of Antigen Receptors Receptor Family with A
    Hagfish Leukocytes Express a Paired Receptor Family with a Variable Domain Resembling Those of Antigen Receptors This information is current as Takashi Suzuki, Tadasu Shin-I, Asao Fujiyama, Yuji Kohara of September 29, 2021. and Masanori Kasahara J Immunol 2005; 174:2885-2891; ; doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.174.5.2885 http://www.jimmunol.org/content/174/5/2885 Downloaded from References This article cites 37 articles, 11 of which you can access for free at: http://www.jimmunol.org/content/174/5/2885.full#ref-list-1 http://www.jimmunol.org/ Why The JI? Submit online. • Rapid Reviews! 30 days* from submission to initial decision • No Triage! Every submission reviewed by practicing scientists • Fast Publication! 4 weeks from acceptance to publication by guest on September 29, 2021 *average Subscription Information about subscribing to The Journal of Immunology is online at: http://jimmunol.org/subscription Permissions Submit copyright permission requests at: http://www.aai.org/About/Publications/JI/copyright.html Email Alerts Receive free email-alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up at: http://jimmunol.org/alerts The Journal of Immunology is published twice each month by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc., 1451 Rockville Pike, Suite 650, Rockville, MD 20852 Copyright © 2005 by The American Association of Immunologists All rights reserved. Print ISSN: 0022-1767 Online ISSN: 1550-6606. The Journal of Immunology Hagfish Leukocytes Express a Paired Receptor Family with a Variable Domain Resembling Those of Antigen Receptors1,2 Takashi Suzuki,* Tadasu Shin-I,§ Asao Fujiyama,†¶ʈ Yuji Kohara,‡§ and Masanori Kasahara3* Jawed vertebrates are equipped with TCR and BCR with the capacity to rearrange their V domains.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Species of the Calcareous Sponge Genus Leuclathrina (Calcarea: Calcinea: Clathrinida) from the Maldives
    Zootaxa 4382 (1): 147–158 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) http://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2018 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4382.1.5 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B222C2D8-82FB-414C-A88F-44A12A837A21 A new species of the calcareous sponge genus Leuclathrina (Calcarea: Calcinea: Clathrinida) from the Maldives OLIVER VOIGT1,5, BERNHARD RUTHENSTEINER2, LAURA LEIVA1, BENEDETTA FRADUSCO1 & GERT WÖRHEIDE1,3,4 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Palaeontology and Geobiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Rich- ard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333 München, Germany 2 SNSB - Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Sektion Evertebrata varia, Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247 München, Germany 3 GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333 München, Germany 4SNSB - Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333 München, Germany 5Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected], Tel.: +49 (0) 89 2180 6635; Fax: +49 (0) 89 2180 6601 Abstract The diversity and phylogenetic relationships of calcareous sponges are still not completely understood. Recent integrative approaches combined analyses of DNA and morphological observations. Such studies resulted in severe taxonomic revi- sions within the subclass Calcinea and provided the foundation for a phylogenetically meaningful classification. However, several genera are missing from DNA phylogenies and their relationship to other Calcinea remain uncertain. One of these genera is Leuclathrina (family Leucaltidae). We here describe a new species from the Maldives, Leuclathrina translucida sp. nov., which is only the second species of the genus. Like the type species Leuclathrina asconoides, the new species has a leuconoid aquiferous system and lacks a specialized choanoskeleton.
    [Show full text]
  • NPWS Inishmore Island SAC (Site Code: 213) Conservation Objectives
    NPWS Inishmore Island SAC (site code: 213) Conservation objectives supporting document - Marine Habitats Version 1 January 2015 Introduction Inishmore Island SAC is designated for the marine Annex I qualifying interests of Reefs and Submerged or partially submerged sea caves (Figures 1 and 2). A BioMar survey of this site was carried out in 1993 (Picton and Costello, 1997), a seacave survey and intertidal and subtidal reef surveys were undertaken in 2012 (MERC, 2012 and MERC, 2013); these data were used to determine the physical and biological nature of this SAC. The distribution and ecology of intertidal or subtidal seacaves has not previously been the subject of scientific investigation in Ireland and the extents of very few individual caves have been mapped in detail. Whilst surveys undertaken in the UK indicate the structure and functions of seacaves are largely influenced by hydrodynamic forces and water quality, no such information is yet available for Ireland. Aspects of the biology and ecology of the Annex I habitat are provided in Section 1. The corresponding site-specific conservation objectives will facilitate Ireland delivering on its surveillance and reporting obligations under the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EC). Ireland also has an obligation to ensure that consent decisions concerning operations/activities planned for Natura 2000 sites are informed by an appropriate assessment where the likelihood of such operations or activities having a significant effect on the SAC cannot be excluded. Further ancillary information concerning the practical application of the site-specific objectives and targets in the completion of such assessments is provided in Section 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat (Efh) Amendment 2 Draft Environmental Impact Statement
    New England Fishery Management Council 50 WATER STREET | NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS 01950 | PHONE 978 465 0492 | FAX 978 465 3116 E.F. “Terry” Stockwell III, Chairman | Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director OMNIBUS ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT (EFH) AMENDMENT 2 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT Appendix D: The Swept Area Seabed Impact (SASI) approach: a tool for analyzing the effects of fishing on Essential Fish Habitat Appendix D: The Swept Area Seabed Impact Approach This document was prepared by the following members of the NEFMC Habitat Plan Development team, with feedback from the NEFMC Habitat Oversight Committee, NEFMC Habitat Advisory Panel, and interested members of the public. Michelle Bachman, NEFMC staff Peter Auster, University of Connecticut Chad Demarest, NOAA/Northeast Fisheries Science Center Steve Eayrs, Gulf of Maine Research Institute Kathyrn Ford, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Jon Grabowski, Gulf of Maine Research Institute Brad Harris, University of Massachusetts School of Marine Science and Technology Tom Hoff, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Mark Lazzari, Maine Department of Marine Resources Vincent Malkoski, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Dave Packer, NOAA/ Northeast Fisheries Science Center David Stevenson, NOAA/Northeast Regional Office Page Valentine, U.S. Geological Survey January 2011 Page 2 of 257 Appendix D: The Swept Area Seabed Impact Approach Table of Contents 1.0 OVERVIEW OF THE SWEPT AREA SEABED IMPACT MODEL ........... 13 2.0 DEFINING HABITAT ......................................................................................
    [Show full text]