Susini Irene, Van Audenhaege Loïc, Price David M, Pearman Tabitha R R, Mitchell Emily G, Huvenne Veerle A I
Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK.
School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 11;15(1):29332. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-13327-2.
Sea pens are colonial octocorals inhabiting mostly muddy and sandy soft sediments, globally. Despite their cosmopolitan distribution, evidence of high functional value, and susceptibility to external stressors, sea pens remain poorly investigated relative to other coral species. Here, a quantitative analysis of the fine-scale spatial patterns of deep-sea sea pens (Octocorallia: Pennatuloidea) within a submarine canyon conservation area in English waters is conducted using Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) seabed images, three-dimensional photogrammetry models, and Spatial Point Pattern Analysis (SPPA). The density distribution of sea pens at the canyon flank scale (100s of metres) is also reported for context. At the canyon flank scale, sea pen density decreases with increasing depth, with colonies virtually absent from waters deeper than ca. 1100 m. At the fine scale, sea pens exhibit a tendency to cluster relative to sea pens and tube-dwelling anemones (Cerianthidae sp.), suggesting mutual habitat associations. Conversely, overdispersion best characterises the nature of sea pen distribution relative to stalked sponges (Hyalonema sp.), suggesting occurrence of competition or, possibly, allelopathy. This study demonstrates that high-resolution spatial analysis techniques can be employed to disentangle biotic interactions among a set of taxa, revealing key processes and structures underlying the ecology of benthic fauna.
海鳃是一种群体八放珊瑚，在全球范围内大多栖息于泥泞和沙质的软质沉积物中。尽管它们分布广泛，具有很高的功能价值，且易受外部压力源影响，但相对于其他珊瑚物种，海鳃的研究仍然很少。在此，利用遥控水下机器人（ROV）海底图像、三维摄影测量模型和空间点模式分析（SPPA），对英国海域一个海底峡谷保护区内深海海鳃（八放珊瑚亚纲：海鳃目）的精细尺度空间格局进行了定量分析。还报告了峡谷侧翼尺度（数百米）下海鳃的密度分布情况以供参考。在峡谷侧翼尺度上，海鳃密度随深度增加而降低，在深度超过约1100米的水域中几乎没有群体。在精细尺度上，相对于海鳃和管栖海葵（Cerianthidae属物种），海鳃呈现出聚集的趋势，这表明它们存在相互的栖息地关联。相反，相对于柄海绵（Hyalonema属物种），海鳃分布的性质最能以过度分散来表征，这表明存在竞争，或者可能存在化感作用。这项研究表明，可以采用高分辨率空间分析技术来理清一组分类群之间的生物相互作用，揭示底栖动物生态学背后的关键过程和结构。
