Review of the Impact of Whale Fall on Biodiversity in Deep-Sea Ecosystems
“Whale Fall” is a collective term for the whale carcass, the process of dead whale fall, and the formed deep-sea ecosystem. The whale fall process produces a lot of unstable organic matter that has a significant impact on deep-sea ecosystems. Scientists speculate that organic matter input is the sou...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.885572/full |
| _version_ | 1811209183476842496 |
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| author | Qihui Li Yaping Liu Guo Li Zhikai Wang Zheng Zheng Yuyang Sun Ningfei Lei Qi Li Weizhen Zhang |
| author_facet | Qihui Li Yaping Liu Guo Li Zhikai Wang Zheng Zheng Yuyang Sun Ningfei Lei Qi Li Weizhen Zhang |
| author_sort | Qihui Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | “Whale Fall” is a collective term for the whale carcass, the process of dead whale fall, and the formed deep-sea ecosystem. The whale fall process produces a lot of unstable organic matter that has a significant impact on deep-sea ecosystems. Scientists speculate that organic matter input is the source of energy and material for organisms in deep-sea ecosystems. In the seafloor of the North Pacific, whale fall supports the survival of at least 12,490 organisms of 43 species, contributing to the prosperity of deep-sea life. Due to the specificity of the time and space of the formation of whale fall, there are few studies on whale fall and its impact on the deep-sea ecosystem. This article summarizes and analyses the current research status on the distribution of whale fall and its impact on the deep-sea ecosystem at home and abroad. The results show that the current distribution of whale fall is mainly concentrated in the Pacific and Atlantic regions, and the research on the impact of whale fall on deep-sea ecosystems focuses on the formation process, degradation rate and impact on deep-sea biological systems. This article has some significance to the understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem succession in the deep-sea “desert area.” |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T04:35:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ff68dce0ed53490b84f6ab5a9ef9736e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T04:35:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-ff68dce0ed53490b84f6ab5a9ef9736e2022-12-22T03:47:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2022-05-011010.3389/fevo.2022.885572885572Review of the Impact of Whale Fall on Biodiversity in Deep-Sea EcosystemsQihui Li0Yaping Liu1Guo Li2Zhikai Wang3Zheng Zheng4Yuyang Sun5Ningfei Lei6Qi Li7Weizhen Zhang8School of Ecological and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Ecological and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United StatesSchool of Ecological and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Ecological and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Ecological and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China“Whale Fall” is a collective term for the whale carcass, the process of dead whale fall, and the formed deep-sea ecosystem. The whale fall process produces a lot of unstable organic matter that has a significant impact on deep-sea ecosystems. Scientists speculate that organic matter input is the source of energy and material for organisms in deep-sea ecosystems. In the seafloor of the North Pacific, whale fall supports the survival of at least 12,490 organisms of 43 species, contributing to the prosperity of deep-sea life. Due to the specificity of the time and space of the formation of whale fall, there are few studies on whale fall and its impact on the deep-sea ecosystem. This article summarizes and analyses the current research status on the distribution of whale fall and its impact on the deep-sea ecosystem at home and abroad. The results show that the current distribution of whale fall is mainly concentrated in the Pacific and Atlantic regions, and the research on the impact of whale fall on deep-sea ecosystems focuses on the formation process, degradation rate and impact on deep-sea biological systems. This article has some significance to the understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem succession in the deep-sea “desert area.”https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.885572/fullwhale falldeep-seaimpactbiodiversityecosystems |
| spellingShingle | Qihui Li Yaping Liu Guo Li Zhikai Wang Zheng Zheng Yuyang Sun Ningfei Lei Qi Li Weizhen Zhang Review of the Impact of Whale Fall on Biodiversity in Deep-Sea Ecosystems Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution whale fall deep-sea impact biodiversity ecosystems |
| title | Review of the Impact of Whale Fall on Biodiversity in Deep-Sea Ecosystems |
| title_full | Review of the Impact of Whale Fall on Biodiversity in Deep-Sea Ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Review of the Impact of Whale Fall on Biodiversity in Deep-Sea Ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Review of the Impact of Whale Fall on Biodiversity in Deep-Sea Ecosystems |
| title_short | Review of the Impact of Whale Fall on Biodiversity in Deep-Sea Ecosystems |
| title_sort | review of the impact of whale fall on biodiversity in deep sea ecosystems |
| topic | whale fall deep-sea impact biodiversity ecosystems |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.885572/full |
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