Deepwater Program: Lophelia II, continuing ecological research on deep-sea corals and deep-reef habitats in the Gulf of Mexico

Open-File Report 2017-1139
Prepared in collaboration with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
By: , and 

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Abstract

The deep sea is a rich environment composed of diverse habitat types. While deep-sea coral habitats have been discovered within each ocean basin, knowledge about the ecology of these habitats and associated inhabitants continues to grow. This report presents information and results from the Lophelia II project that examined deep-sea coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. The Lophelia II project focused on Lophelia pertusa habitats along the continental slope, at depths ranging from 300 to 1,000 meters. The chapters are authored by several scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University of North Carolina Wilmington, and Florida State University who examined the community ecology (from microbes to fishes), deep-sea coral age, growth, and reproduction, and population connectivity of deep-sea corals and inhabitants. Data from these studies are presented in the chapters and appendixes of the report as well as in journal publications. This study was conducted by the Ecosystems Mission Area of the U.S. Geological Survey to meet information needs identified by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Suggested Citation

Demopoulos, A.W.J., Ross, S.W., Kellogg, C.A., Morrison, C.L., Nizinski, M., Prouty, N.G., Bourque, J.R., Galkiewicz, J.P., Gray, M.A., Springmann, M.J., Coykendall, D.K., Miller, A., Rhode, M., Quattrini, A., Ames, C.L., Brooke, S., McClain-Counts, J., Roark, E.B., Buster, N.A., Phillips, R.M., and Frometa, J., 2017, Deepwater Program: Lophelia II, continuing ecological research on deep-sea corals and deep-reef habitats in the Gulf of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2017–1139, 269 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171139.

ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • 1 Lophelia II Introduction and Program Overview
  • 2 Microbial Ecology and Functional Metagenomics of Lophelia Pertusa in the Gulf of Mexico
  • 3 Genetic Connectivity Among Natural Lophelia Pertusa Reefs and Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico
  • 4 Genetic Diversity Within Eumunida Picta, a Squat Lobster Associated with Lophelia Pertusa Reefs in the Western Atlantic Ocean
  • 5 Deep-Sea Black Coral Growth Rate and Age Distribution in the Gulf of Mexico
  • 6 Macrofaunal Community Structure Near Lophelia Pertusa and Shipwreck Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico
  • 7 Trophodynamics of the Fish Community Associated with Deep-Sea Corals in the Gulf of Mexico
  • 8 Fishes Associated with Deep-Sea Coral Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico
  • 9 Distribution, Abundance, and Species Composition of the Megafaunal Invertebrate Assemblages Associated with Deep-Sea Coral Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico
  • 10 Reproductive Biology of Deep-Sea Corals
  • Appendix A. List of Manuscripts Published Related to Gulf of Mexico Projects: Lophelia I, Chemo III, Lophelia II
  • Appendix B. Stations Sampled During Five Lophelia II Cruises (2008–2010)
  • Appendix C. Radiocarbon Results
  • Appendix D. Photographs of Selected Benthic Fishes Observed During the Lophelia II Project in the Gulf of Mexico
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Deepwater Program: Lophelia II, continuing ecological research on deep-sea corals and deep-reef habitats in the Gulf of Mexico
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2017-1139
DOI 10.3133/ofr20171139
Year Published 2017
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Description xviii, 269 p.
Country United States
Other Geospatial Gulf of Mexico
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
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