Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective最新文献

{"title":"Meiofauna in Rhodolith Beds on the Continental Shelf of the Potiguar Basin (Brazil)","authors":"P. J. P. Santos,&nbsp;A. P. Wandeness,&nbsp;C. C. Lucena,&nbsp;A. M. Esteves,&nbsp;P. F. Neres,&nbsp;A. Manoel,&nbsp;E. Gomes-Junior,&nbsp;M. F. Rocha","doi":"10.1111/maec.70019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In continental shelves of tropical areas, ecological studies on meiofauna are scarce and most studies were mainly based on a single sampling event or limited spatial design. Along the Potiguar Basin continental shelf, carbonate sediments, produced by calcareous algae (rhodoliths) and corals, dominate. The ecology of rhodolith beds has been the subject of relatively few studies despite this ecosystem being under strong pressure due to its large economic potential, especially in poorly known tropical areas, and because of global climate change that will likely have a profound impact on crustose coralline species. In the Potiguar Basin, oil spill hazards should also be considered as potential sources of stress due to its history of oil and gas exploration in both onshore and offshore areas. This study focuses on the spatial and temporal patterns of meiofauna communities and their relationship to natural variables. Four campaigns were conducted. Three replicates at four isobaths (5, 10, 20 and 50 m) were sampled, in which 20 stations, each at a distance of 20 km, were positioned, totaling five transects (T1–T5). For each of the Nematoda, Copepoda, and Tardigrada groups, which together accounted for more than 88% of total meiofauna abundance during each campaign, up to 100 individuals per replicate, when available, were identified to the lowest taxonomic level. Three hundred and twenty one lower taxa (species and genera) were identified, with an overall average density of almost 700 ind.cm⁻². The data indicate that the Potiguar Basin benthos has one of the most diverse meiofauna communities ever sampled, with densities falling within the ranges of similar continental shelf environments. Considering spatial variation, a large part of the meiofauna community variability was clearly related to the presence of the Açu incised valley. Despite the importance of spatial factors, which would suggest sediment parameters as the most important, our analysis indicated that ecological interactions may have the same importance in this eco-engineered system. Temporal variation was particularly evident in the density trend. We hypothesize that the much lower meiofauna densities observed during the 2014 campaigns were the result of a very strong seawater warming event during 2010, associated with the ENSO of 2009–2010, and a subsequent strong reduction in precipitation over several years, due to an anomalously northward position of the ITCZ. This hypothesis predicts that as climate change continues, there will be widespread modifications in the structure and functioning of meiofauna communities in rhodolith beds.</p>","PeriodicalId":49883,"journal":{"name":"Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/maec.70019","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143879858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing Fish Community Structure and Diversity Across Environmental Gradients in a Tropical Bay","authors":"Leonardo Almeida Freitas,&nbsp;Francisco Gerson Araújo","doi":"10.1111/maec.70016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding the relationship between species distribution and the environment across spatial gradients is crucial for biodiversity evaluation. We surveyed fish populations in a tropical bay, covering a spatial gradient from the outer zone with favorable marine conditions to the inner zone affected by human activities. The tested hypothesis is that natural environmental gradients (e.g., temperature, salinity, turbidity) and anthropogenic influences (e.g., pollution, organic enrichment) affect fish communities and that environmental filters reduce taxonomic and functional diversity in more impacted zones. Species richness increased, while fish abundance and biomass decreased from the inner to the outer zone. Only functional divergence changed spatially, being higher in the outer zone. This suggests changes in species but the maintenance of most functions. Fourteen functional groups were identified based on locomotion and food acquisition traits. Higher taxonomic diversity and functional divergence in the outer zone likely stem from greater resource utilization differentiation and more favorable environmental conditions near the sea, fostering species with distinct functional attributes. Conversely, the inner zone, burdened by high organic and pollutant loads, favors species highly tolerant of harsh environmental conditions, such as marine catfishes. Fish communities exhibited spatial changes due to environmental gradients and anthropogenic influences. Environmental filters altered taxonomic indices, while functional indices remained stable, except for functional divergence, which was lower in the most impacted area, partially confirming our hypothesis. These findings advance our understanding of environmental influences on species distribution along spatial gradients in coastal systems, proving to be a promising and increasingly utilized tool for ecological assessment.</p>","PeriodicalId":49883,"journal":{"name":"Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/maec.70016","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143840524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Juvenile Species in Beach Seine Bycatch Along the Coast of Ghana: Any Implications for Fisheries?","authors":"Margaret Fafa Awushie Akwetey,&nbsp;Charles Abimbola Faseyi,&nbsp;Paul Kojo Mensah,&nbsp;Sika Abrokwah,&nbsp;Gabriel Gator,&nbsp;Gifty Wiredu,&nbsp;Theophilus Oteng-Krah,&nbsp;Eric Appiah Krampah,&nbsp;Daniel Pauly","doi":"10.1111/maec.70014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70014","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Beach seine is a popular fishing gear along the coast of West Africa. The low selectivity of this gear, coupled with its mode of operation, results in the bycatch of juveniles of commercially important fish species and other non-target organisms, which are consequently discarded. This study investigates the macrofaunal constituents of beach seine bycatch discarded along the coast of Ghana and the potential implications for the country's fisheries. Discards from two beach seine nets were collected and examined monthly from Dzelukofe, Bortianor, and Cape Coast over a period of six months, from August to October 2022 for the wet season and December 2022 to February 2023 for the dry season. In total, 71 species (15,708 individuals) were recorded at Dzelukofe, 65 species (5158 individuals) at Duakor, and 62 species (8030 individuals) at Bortianor. Eighty (80) species made up of 20,545 individuals were recorded during the dry season, while 75 species comprising 8,351 individuals were recorded during the wet season. Bivalves accounted for 41.1% of the macrofauna encountered, followed by cephalopods (35.7%) and malacostracans (21.9%). The remaining macrofauna together accounted for &lt; 3%. Cuttlefish eggs dominated (43.07%) the discards in the dry season, while being completely absent in the wet season. The cuttlefish eggs were most prominent in Dzelukofe, accounting for &gt; 50% of the sample. <i>Pinctada radiata</i> dominated (41.4%) at Duakor, while <i>Gari fervensis</i> (46.6%) was dominant in Bortianor. Juveniles and early life stages of commercially important species made up almost 85% of the discards. Potentially, about 8,600,000 cuttlefish eggs were discarded through beach seining activities, which could have produced at least 100,000 adult cuttlefish. This trend could be true for other commercially important fish species found in the beach seine discards. For a country whose fisheries sector generates over 1 billion USD in revenue each year and contributes to at least 4.5% of GDP, further studies on the implications of beach seine fisheries on the economy are recommended for better management strategies.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49883,"journal":{"name":"Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143840645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Population Genetics of the Blood Cockle, Tegillarca granosa (Linnaeus, 1758): A Study of Spatial Genetic Structure Across the Indonesian Archipelago","authors":"Eko Hardianto,&nbsp;Eko Setyobudi,&nbsp;Ratih Ida Adharini,&nbsp;Susanti Mugi Lestari","doi":"10.1111/maec.70017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70017","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The blood cockle, <i>Tegillarca granosa</i>, holds significant importance within the Asian shellfish ecosystem, both in terms of economic viability and ecological significance. The investigation focused on examining the genetic diversity, historical biogeography, and population structure of the species in order to enhance our comprehension of its evolutionary history. We selected a total of five sites across the Indonesian Archipelago for sample collection. Sequence variation in a segment of mitochondrial DNA control region was characterized in a sample of 200 individuals. Genetic diversity (<i>h</i> = 0.88–0.96) and nucleotide diversity (<i>π</i> = 0.51–0.98) were found to be high compared to the estimates reported for many other similar shellfish taxa. Nonetheless, analysis of molecular variance revealed significant genetic differentiation, <i>F</i>_ST = 0.5530 (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.0001 after Bonferroni corrections). Furthermore, the pairwise fixation index values exhibited significance across all population locations, indicating a constraint on dispersion potential and gene flow. This pattern presumably indicates restricted dispersion ability, facilitating local adaptation to specific locales, hence enhancing the biological, oceanographic, and geographic influences on genetic structure. The findings presented herein establish a basis for formulating improved conservation strategies for the target species.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49883,"journal":{"name":"Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Roles of Secondary Calcifiers in Reef Construction and Maintenance in Coral and Rocky Reefs of the Mexican Pacific","authors":"Sandra Pareja-Ortega,&nbsp;Rafael A. Cabral-Tena,&nbsp;Alma Paola Rodríguez-Troncoso,&nbsp;Lorenzo Álvarez-Filip,&nbsp;Luis E. Calderon-Aguilera,&nbsp;J. Adán Avilés-Chávez,&nbsp;Raquel Negrete-Aranda,&nbsp;Amílcar L. Cupul-Magaña","doi":"10.1111/maec.70015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Carbonate production by sclerobionts was quantified with calcification-accretion units (CAUs) to evaluate the roles of different taxonomic groups in the construction and maintenance of coral reef structures in two sites in the Mexican Pacific with contrasting environmental characteristics: Yelapa and Isla Espíritu Santo (IES). Five CAUs were collected every 6 months for 2 years. The average calcification rate in Yelapa and IES was 1.04 ± 0.11 kg m⁻² year⁻¹ and 1.01 ± 0.82 kg m⁻² year⁻¹; no difference in calcification was found between sites (<i>H</i> = 0.13, df = 1, <i>p</i> = 0.71), although significant differences in calcification were found over time (<i>H</i> = 9.13, df = 3, <i>p</i> = 0.03). Barnacles exhibited the highest calcification rate (Yelapa: 0.63 ± 0.8 kg CaCO₃ m⁻² year⁻¹; IES: 0.54 ± 0.6 kg CaCO₃ m⁻² year⁻¹), followed by mollusks (Yelapa: 0.27 ± 0.35, IES: 0.18 ± 0.26 kg CaCO₃ m⁻² year⁻¹), crustose coralline algae (CCA) (Yelapa: 0.025 ± 0.029 kg CaCO₃ m⁻² year⁻¹; IES: 0.08 ± 0.11 kg CaCO₃ m⁻² year⁻¹), and bryozoans (Yelapa: 0.04 ± 0.06 kg CaCO₃ m⁻² year⁻¹; IES: 0.11 ± 0.11 kg CaCO₃ m⁻² year⁻¹). Cover was dominated by barnacles (27.7%), CCA (16.5%), and mollusks (13.7%) in Yelapa and by bryozoans (27.9%), CCA (20.4%), and barnacles (17.4%) in IES. The coverage of all groups (except CCA) was different between sites, and all taxonomic groups (except foraminifera) exhibited differences over time. The role of each taxonomic group was attributed according to their substrate preference (exposed or cryptic). In Yelapa, bryozoans and polychaetes filled cavities, while CCAs and bryozoans contributed to vertical reef accretion in IES.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49883,"journal":{"name":"Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143809688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Role of Temperature in the Termination of Dormancy in Zooplankton","authors":"Emma Svahn,&nbsp;Marcus Hall,&nbsp;Samuel Hylander","doi":"10.1111/maec.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Organisms in systems with seasonality require adaptations that enable them to endure harsh conditions and to emerge again at an optimal time to start a new period of production. One such adaptation is dormant eggs in zooplankton. While there is much information on the cues leading to the production of dormant eggs, less is known about the termination and hatching of these eggs, especially among marine zooplankton. Our results from a combined laboratory and field study at a coastal Baltic Sea site showed that hatching in some overwintering copepods was temperature-dependent, with a threshold-like initiation between 6°C and 9°C. In contrast, overwintering rotifers hatched in comparable abundances in all temperatures, once a similar amount of degree-days had been accumulated. The field study demonstrated that nauplii started to appear when temperatures increased above 6.8°C and were more abundant close to the sediment than in surface water in early spring, matching the hatching threshold found in the laboratory. Various rotifers increased in abundance at different times during the spring phenology, but without any differences in abundance between deep and surface waters. Hence, the hatching of zooplankton dormant eggs in this system is temperature-dependent, likely taxa-specific, and continued climate change is predicted to have implications for the plankton phenology, mismatches, and food web composition.</p>","PeriodicalId":49883,"journal":{"name":"Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/maec.70012","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143689281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Edge Device Integration to Visualize Blue Whale Tracking Using Space-Borne Remote Sensing Data","authors":"S. Vasavi,&nbsp;Prudhvi Narayana Bandaru,&nbsp;Balasai Sigireddy","doi":"10.1111/maec.70003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70003","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The global whale population is shrouded in uncertainty, primarily due to the substantial costs and resource demands associated with traditional detection methods such as sighting surveys, acoustic monitoring, and high-resolution imagery analysis. This study presents a groundbreaking approach that employs transformer-based models, specifically RTDetr with customized backbone and Segformer-based encoder–decoder architecture with skip connections, for the autonomous detection, classification, and tracking of blue whales in the Indian Ocean using space-borne satellite imagery. By integrating datasets from SASPlanet, UK Polar data, and Worldview-2 imagery around Sri Lanka, and validating with Cartosat-2E Satellite data (1.16 m) from NSIL Bangalore, ISRO. The proposed research developed a robust system capable of processing high-resolution satellite images for cost-effective whale detection. This system is accessible through Telegram and WhatsApp bots, facilitating real-time detection and tracking via deployment on a Jetson Nano board. Our model achieved impressive performance metrics, including an F1 score of 90%, mean average precision (mAP) of 83%, precision of 90%, and recall of 98%. These results demonstrate the efficacy of our approach in automating whale detection, offering a scalable and efficient tool for advancing marine conservation efforts.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49883,"journal":{"name":"Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143689364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Multilevel Biodiversity Approach of the Hermit Crabs in the Iberian Peninsula and Ultraperipheral Territories","authors":"Bruno Almón,&nbsp;J. Enrique García-Raso,&nbsp;Jose A. Cuesta","doi":"10.1111/maec.70011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70011","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea constitute one of the most diverse groups within the Decapoda, exhibiting remarkable morphological and ecological diversity. Despite the relatively high number of described species worldwide, there are still many gaps in the knowledge of this group, particularly regarding genetic information. This study aims to update the geographic distribution information currently available for the hermit crab species in the Iberian Peninsula, Azores, Canary Islands, and Madeira, and generate a molecular database supported by morphological identification. The results are summarized in an updated list of Paguroidea recorded in the study area, which comprises a total of 55 species, representing a significant increase from previous compilations. Newly generated sequences, including those from the study area and closely related species from other areas, provide the first molecular information for 35 out of the 70 species analyzed. Phylogenetic analyses provide evidence of the species delimitation capabilities of molecular tools when reliable morphology-based information is available. Molecular analyses using two mitochondrial markers largely corresponded, supporting most traditionally established species and validating the morphological characters used for delimitation. Specifically, the COI gene showed better results and clearer topologies, suggesting greater utility for exploring species delimitation when using single-gene identification as a DNA barcode. Overall, the results of this long-term study will improve the capabilities for species delimitation, in addition to updating the composition and richness of species in the area.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49883,"journal":{"name":"Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143645855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trends for Research on Hard Substrate Colonization by Meiofauna","authors":"Marcos Eduardo Miranda Santos,&nbsp;Débora Spenassato,&nbsp;Ana Maria Volkmer de Azambuja,&nbsp;Jorge Luiz Silva Nunes,&nbsp;Maurício Garcia de Camargo","doi":"10.1111/maec.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The relationships between meiofaunal communities and hard substrate are relatively well-documented in the scientific literature. However, a comprehensive quantitative review of global research on meiofauna colonization across different hard substrates has not yet been conducted. In this study, a scientometric analysis was performed to evaluate scientific interest in various hard substrates in studies exploring the influence of spatial heterogeneity on meiofaunal colonization. A total of 124 articles published from 1967 to 2023 were selected from online databases. Macroalgae were the most frequently studied hard substrate, and it was the one that harbors the highest abundance and richness values compared to other substrates. Studies predominantly focused on specific taxonomic groups, particularly Copepoda, Harpacticoida, and Ostracoda. Nematoda, Copepoda, Harpacticoida, and Amphipoda were the most commonly recorded meiofaunal taxa. Geographically, the United States of America was the most productive country in this field, followed by Brazil. Multivariate analyses, especially Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (nMDS), were the primary quantitative methods used. A decline in studies on meiofauna-substrate relationships over recent years was observed. Given the extensive research on macroalgal colonization, future studies should consider a wider variety of hard substrates to expand understanding in this field.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49883,"journal":{"name":"Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143638984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Hidden Forests Below: A Review of the Ecology and Evolution of Wood Falls on the Deep Seafloor","authors":"Craig R. McClain,&nbsp;Diva Amon,&nbsp;Marshall Bowles,&nbsp;S. River D. Bryant,&nbsp;Granger Hanks,&nbsp;Sydney McDermott,&nbsp;Eugenia Thomas,&nbsp;Emily Young","doi":"10.1111/maec.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Wood falls—parcels of wood that sink to the deep-sea floor—represent unique and dynamic ecosystems that support a highly diverse and evolutionarily distinct assemblage of faunal communities. The fauna inhabiting wood falls exhibit a high degree of endemism, with many species using the wood not only as a substrate and habitat but also as a direct or indirect source of organic matter. Xylophagous species play a critical role in breaking down the wood, creating complex food webs and contributing to nutrient cycling in the deep-sea environment. The composition of faunal communities associated with sunken wood is influenced by several factors, including the physical properties of the wood itself, such as species, mass, and surface area, as well as environmental conditions like water depth, geographic location, and the stage of ecological succession. These factors interact to shape the biodiversity and ecological processes within wood falls, making them temporally and spatially finite habitats. Their distinct boundaries and lifespans are tightly linked to the rate of wood degradation, primarily driven by specialized wood-boring organisms. Despite their ecological significance, most knowledge about wood-fall ecosystems comes from experimental studies rather than from observations of naturally occurring wood falls. This has left significant gaps in our understanding of the natural variability and ecological roles of these systems in the deep sea. The scarcity of natural wood-fall records poses challenges for fully grasping their contribution to deep-sea biodiversity, carbon cycling, and biogeography. In this review, we synthesize the current state of knowledge on wood-fall ecosystems. We also explore the potential applications of wood-fall research in broader ecological, industrial, and environmental contexts. Wood falls offer valuable insights into deep-sea ecosystem functioning, biodiversity maintenance, and species evolution.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49883,"journal":{"name":"Marine Ecology-An Evolutionary Perspective","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}