Field works 3/25-4/3/2018 (OR1 1190)
Cruise track in Gaoping, Fangliao and Hongchai Submarine Canyon.
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New study on seafloor carbon cycling featured by TREEWe compared global carbon turnover rates using two different approaches. One based on algorithm describing decay of sinking organic carbon in the water column and another based on carbon remineralization of sediment communities. The main discrepancy is that one ignores and another considers the sediment biological activities. We showed that the two approaches generate divergent outcomes, suggesting that not only climate changes may affect the deep-sea ecosystem, our anticipation of climate changes can also be affected by the seafloor biological activities. It is therefore the societal decisions on mitigation and adaptation to climate changes (which often based on climate model outputs) should also consider the seafloor perspective. More details in Chinese and English.
Snelgrove, P.V.R.*, Soetaert, K., Solan, M., Thrush, S., Wei, C.-L., Danovaro, R., Fulweiler, R., Kitazato, H. , Ingole, B., Norkko, A, Parkes, R.J., Volkenborn, N. (2018) Global Carbon Cycling on a Heterogeneous Seafloor. TREE 33(2): 96-105. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.11.004
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Field works 10/31-11/2/2017We took MB&F student cruise to sample Shoushan Submarine Canyon west of the Xiaoliuqiu Island. We deployed Megacorer and French Beam Trawl to sample infauna and epifauna. We also tested a new underwater camera system.
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Field Works 7/18-7/24/2017 (OR1 1169)
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We sampled the Gaoping Submarine Canyon (GPSC) and slope from 1300 to 3600 m. Ｗe encountered rough sea and Typhoon Roke. Eventually, we had to stop by Xiaoliuqiu as we experienced strong wind beyond the limit of science operation.
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New study on internal tides affecting benthic community structure in submarine canyon published
NTU’s R/V OR1 recovered deep-sea sediments from the Gaoping Submarine Canyon off SW Taiwan
Gaoping Submarine Canyon (GPSC) off SW Taiwan is subjected to strong internal tides and frequent hyperpycnal and mass wasting influence due to its connection to a a high-sediment-yield small mountain river (SMR; Gaoping River). Through repeated sampling, we observed depressed animal density and diversity, altered and varied taxonomic composition, and deepened sediment dwelling depths of the burrowing infauna in the GPSC. All consist with biological communities undergo extreme physical disturbances. We also utilized, for the first time, a hydrodynamic internal tide model to examine how the tidal flushing in a submarine canyon may influence the food supplies and benthic community structure and composition. Deep-sea ecology is still at its infancy in the marginal seas of the East Asia. The ecological information is especially lacking for the deep South China Sea. This research highlights the ecological significance on the submarine canyon associated with high-sediment-yield SMRs, where the 'state' and 'condition' of the soft-bottom benthic community are still poorly known. More details ...
Liao, J.-X., Chen, G.-M., Chiou, M., Jan, S., Wei, C.-L. (2017) Internal tides affect benthic community structure in an energetic submarine canyon off SW Taiwan. DSRI. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr.2017.05.014
Liao, J.-X., Chen, G.-M., Chiou, M., Jan, S., Wei, C.-L. (2017) Internal tides affect benthic community structure in an energetic submarine canyon off SW Taiwan. DSRI. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr.2017.05.014
New study on long-term biodiversity-ecosystem function relationship in deep sea published
Microscopic view of (A) ostracodes and (B) nematodes. Image Credit: Moriaki Yasuhara (University of Hong Kong), Jian-Xiang Liao (National Taiwan University)
We used nematode biomass in the Mediterranean Sea and the accumulation rate of ostracode biovolume in the North Atlantic Ocean for the last 20,000 years as the proxies of ecosystem function (e.g. productivity in an ecosystem). We then compared the taxonomic and functional diversity of nematodes and ostracodes with the proxies of ecosystem functioning to investigate BEF relationships at decadal-millennial time scales. We found generally positive, long-term relationships between the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, in agreement with the BEF studies based on present-day spatial analyses and short-term manipulative experiments. However, the deep-sea BEF relationship is much noisier across longer time scales compared with modern observational studies. The noisier BEF relationship suggests that the environmental changes over decadal to millennial time scales may independently affect biodiversity and biomass and such effects may be much stronger than the impacts of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning. This study suggests that abiotic factors are more important in shaping the patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem function than the biotic factors at macroevolutionary time scales because the observed changes over the scales of this study (decadal-millennial time scales) are much shorter than a species’ approximate lifespan (1–2 million years). This works also implies that climate changes may affect both the diversity and ecosystem functioning over long-time scales in the deep sea.
Yasuhara, M., Doi, H., Wei, C.-L., Danovaro, R., Myhre, S.E. (2016). Biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships in long-term time series and palaeoecological records: deep sea as a test bed. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 371:20150282. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0282
Yasuhara, M., Doi, H., Wei, C.-L., Danovaro, R., Myhre, S.E. (2016). Biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships in long-term time series and palaeoecological records: deep sea as a test bed. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 371:20150282. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0282
Field Works 10/25-10/27/2016We conducted our annual sampling to the Gaoping Submarine Canyon and Slope. Other than investigating the community structure and function of the benthic community, we also collected water samples for nutrients and dissolve organic carbon analysis and fauna samples for analysis of persistent organic pollution.
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We host TEAMS-IONTU workshop on impacts of marine ecosystems by natural disasters 日本東北地區海洋科學(TEAMS)及台大海洋所(IONTU)雙邊研討會, 6/15/2016, Shih-Liang Conference Center
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Tohoku Ecosystem-Associated Marine Sciences (TEAMS) is a research program contributing to the restoration of fishery grounds affected by the giant earthquake and subsequent massive tsunami on March 11, 2011. The objective of TEAMS-IONTU joining workshop is to showcase the research activities from both organizations to seek further collaborations between TEAMS and Taiwan marine scientists
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Field Works 05/31-06/08/2016We joined Prof. Andrew Lin's cruise to sample the mid to lower reaches of the Gaoping Submarine Canyon. The objective was to investigate whether the effect of physical disturbance on benthos may extend the full length of the canyon and into the Manila Trench. We successfully recovered sediment samples from the western bank of the canyon but unfortunately couldn't recover sediments along the canyon axis, presumably, due presence of hard substrates.
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Field Works 03/08-03/19/2016The objective for taking part in Prof. Dai, Chang-Feng's deepwater coral cruise was to test the deep water operations of megacorer. We successfully deployed the instrument between 1000-2000 m off Dongsha and Taiping Islands in the South China Sea.
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Field Works 11/19-11/21/2015We revisited the upper Gaoping Submarine Canyon and adjacent slope. In this cruise, we tested newly setup shipboard incubation facility and sediment microprofiling system to investigate the relationship between community structure and ecosystem functioning.
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Field Works 08/04-08/06/2015We sampled 2 transects along Gaoping Submarine Canyon and adjacent slope from 200 m to 1000 m to investigate the the potential effects of physical disturbance on canyon benthic communities.
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Field Works 03/11-03/12/2015The objective of this cruise was to test the newly purchased multiple megacorer at the head of the Gaoping Submarine Canyon and the adjacent slope. Video courtesy:Prof. Sen Jen
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