title: Challenging the paradigms of deep-sea ecology.
abstract: Deep-sea ecosystems represent Earth's major ecological research frontier. Focusing on seafloor ecosystems, we demonstrate how new technologies underpin discoveries that challenge major ecological hypotheses and paradigms, illuminating new deep-sea geosphere-biosphere interactions. We now recognize greater habitat complexity, new ecological interactions and the importance of 'dark energy', and chemosynthetic production in fuelling biodiversity. We also acknowledge functional hotspots that contradict a food-poor, metabolically inactive, and minor component of global carbon cycles. Symbioses appear widespread, revealing novel adaptations. Populations show complex spatial structure and evolutionary histories. These new findings redefine deep-sea ecology and the role of Earth's largest biome in global biosphere functioning. Indeed, deep-sea exploration can open new perspectives in ecological research to help mitigate exploitation impacts.
authors.affiliation: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale Napoli, 80121, Italy; Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy. Electronic address: r.danovaro@univpm.it.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Danovaro
authors.affiliation: Ocean Sciences Centre and Biology Department, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1C 5S7 Canada.
authors.forename: Paul V R
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Snelgrove
authors.affiliation: Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, NOC, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tyler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000502:physiology*; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D008386:Marine Biology; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology
keywords: biodiversity hot spots; deep-sea ecology; ecological paradigms; ecosystem functioning