Changes in deep reef benthic community composition across a latitudinal and environmental gradient in temperate Eastern Australia
2017
Deep reef assemblages in south-eastern Australia are poorly described, and have been surveyed by only a few studies conducted over small spatial scales. Here, we characterise
the composition of deep (~30-90 m depth) sessile invertebrate communities from sub-tropical
(27°S) to temperate eastern Australia (43°S). We estimated the cover of 51 preselected invertebrate
types from over 1700 seafloor images collected by an autonomous underwater vehicle from
>105 km of transects across the study region. Seafloor images were assessed using 3 alternative
schemes reflecting different resolution of benthic invertebrate groupings, including the broad-
level Collaborative and Automated Tools for Analysis of Marine Imagery project (‘CATAMI’) classification
recently developed as a generic scoring approach for seafloor imagery. Ordination using
canonical analysis of principal coordinates indicated a clear latitudinal gradient in benthic community
composition and, particularly when based on individual morphotypes, 3 distinct community
types (sub-tropical, warm temperate and cool temperate). Changes in community structure
mostly correlated with primary productivity and the temperature climatology, while local-scale
variability in community composition was most related to depth. Along with the gradual shift in
deep reef community composition across latitudes, region-specific sessile invertebrates might
serve as useful indicators of change in these deep benthic communities under future changes in
ocean climate in the region, which has been identified as a global hotspot for ocean warming. Our
methodological approach has general applicability for large-scale surveying and monitoring of
benthic communities using underwater imagery.
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