Fassbender Nico, Stefanoudis Paris V, Filander Zoleka Nontlantla, Gendron Gilberte, Mah Christopher L, Mattio Lydiane, Mortimer Jeanne A, Moura Carlos J, Samaai Toufiek, Samimi-Namin Kaveh, Wagner Daniel, Walton Rowana, Woodall Lucy C
Nekton Foundation, Oxford, United Kingdom Nekton Foundation Oxford United Kingdom.
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom Department of Zoology, University of Oxford Oxford United Kingdom.
Biodivers Data J. 2021 Aug 27;9:e65970. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e65970. eCollection 2021.
During the 2019 First Descent: Seychelles Expedition, shallow and deep reef ecosystems of the Seychelles Outer Islands were studied by deploying a variety of underwater technologies to survey their benthic flora and fauna. Submersibles, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and SCUBA diving teams used stereo-video camera systems to record benthic communities during transect surveys conducted at 10 m, 30 m, 60 m, 120 m, 250 m and 350 m depths. In total, ~ 45 h of video footage was collected during benthic transect surveys, which was subsequently processed using annotation software in order to assess reef biodiversity and community composition. Here, we present a photographic guide for the visual identification of the marine macrophytes, corals, sponges and other common invertebrates that inhabit Seychelles' reefs. It is hoped that the resulting guide will aid marine biologists, conservationists, managers, divers and naturalists with the coarse identification of organisms as seen in underwater footage or live in the field.
A total of 184 morphotypes (= morphologically similar individuals) were identified belonging to Octocorallia (47), Porifera (35), Scleractinia (32), Asteroidea (19), Echinoidea (10), Actiniaria (9), Chlorophyta (8), Antipatharia (6), Hydrozoa (6), Holothuroidea (5), Mollusca (2), Rhodophyta (2), Tracheophyta (2), Annelida (1), Crinoidea (1), Ctenophora (1), Ochrophyta (1) and Zoantharia (1). Out of these, we identified one to phylum level, eight to class, 14 to order, 27 to family, 110 to genus and 24 to species. This represents the first attempt to catalogue the benthic diversity from shallow reefs and up to 350 m depth in Seychelles.
在2019年首次下潜：塞舌尔探险期间，通过部署各种水下技术对塞舌尔外岛的浅海和深海珊瑚礁生态系统进行了研究，以调查其底栖动植物群。潜水器、遥控潜水器（ROV）和水肺潜水队使用立体视频摄像系统，在10米、30米、60米、120米、250米和350米深度进行的断面调查中记录底栖生物群落。在底栖断面调查中总共收集了约45小时的视频 footage，随后使用注释软件对其进行处理，以评估珊瑚礁生物多样性和群落组成。在此，我们提供一份摄影指南，用于目视识别栖息在塞舌尔珊瑚礁的大型海洋植物、珊瑚、海绵和其他常见无脊椎动物。希望由此产生的指南能帮助海洋生物学家、保护主义者、管理人员、潜水员和博物学家对水下 footage 或实地活体中看到的生物进行粗略识别。
共识别出184个形态型（=形态相似的个体），分别属于八放珊瑚亚纲（47个）、多孔动物门（35个）、石珊瑚目（32个）、海星纲（19个）、海胆纲（10个）、海葵目（9个）、绿藻门（8个）、黑珊瑚目（6个）、水螅纲（6个）、海参纲（5个）、软体动物门（2个）、红藻门（2个）、维管植物门（2个）、环节动物门（1个）、海百合纲（1个）、栉水母动物门（1个）、褐藻门（1个）和群体海葵目（1个）。其中，我们确定到门水平的有1个，到纲水平的有8个，到目水平的有14个，到科水平的有27个，到属水平的有110个，到种水平的有24个。这是首次对塞舌尔浅海珊瑚礁直至350米深度的底栖生物多样性进行编目。
