@article {Bernardino2012,
	title = {{Comparative Composition, Diversity and Trophic Ecology of Sediment Macrofauna at Vents, Seeps and Organic Falls}},
	journal = {PLoS ONE},
	volume = {7},
	number = {4},
	year = {2012},
	month = {apr},
	pages = {e33515},
	publisher = {Public Library of Science},
	abstract = {Sediments associated with hydrothermal venting, methane seepage and large organic falls such as whale, wood and plant detritus create deep-sea networks of soft-sediment habitats fueled, at least in part, by the oxidation of reduced chemicals. Biological studies at deep-sea vents, seeps and organic falls have looked at macrofaunal taxa, but there has yet to be a systematic comparison of the community-level attributes of sediment macrobenthos in various reducing ecosystems. Here we review key similarities and differences in the sediment-dwelling assemblages of each system with the goals of (1) generating a predictive framework for the exploration and study of newly identified reducing habitats, and (2) identifying taxa and communities that overlap across ecosystems. We show that deep-sea seep, vent and organic-fall sediments are highly heterogeneous. They sustain different geochemical and microbial processes that are reflected in a complex mosaic of habitats inhabited by a mixture of specialist (heterotrophic and symbiont-associated) and background fauna. Community-level comparisons reveal that vent, seep and organic-fall macrofauna are very distinct in terms of composition at the family level, although they share many dominant taxa among these highly sulphidic habitats. Stress gradients are good predictors of macrofaunal diversity at some sites, but habitat heterogeneity and facilitation often modify community structure. The biogeochemical differences across ecosystems and within habitats result in wide differences in organic utilization (i.e., food sources) and in the prevalence of chemosynthesis-derived nutrition. In the Pacific, vents, seeps and organic-falls exhibit distinct macrofaunal assemblages at broad-scales contributing to {\~A}{\"Y} diversity. This has important implications for the conservation of reducing ecosystems, which face growing threats from human activities.},
	doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0033515},
	url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033515},
	author = {Bernardino, A F and Levin, L A and Thurber, A R and Smith, C R}
}
@article {Bernardino2010,
	title = {{Community structure of infaunal macrobenthos around vestimentiferan thickets at the San Clemente cold seep, NE Pacific}},
	journal = {Marine Ecology},
	volume = {31},
	number = {4},
	year = {2010},
	pages = {608{\textendash}621},
	abstract = {The San Clemente cold seep lies within 100{\textendash}200 km of other reducing habitats in the NE Pacific, offering an opportunity to compare diversity and species overlap among reducing habitats (i.e. whale-, kelp-, and wood-falls) at similar depths within a single region. Video observations from the research submersible Alvin at the San Clemente seep (1800 m depth) indicated clumps ({\textquoteleft}thickets{\textquoteright}) of vestimentiferans distributed as meter-scale patches interspersed with vesicomyid clam beds and black sediments. Sediment-core samples were collected at distances of 0 to 80{\textendash}200 m along randomly oriented transects radiating outward from vestimentiferan thickets to evaluate changes in macrofaunal community structure from thickets into the background community. Macrofaunal abundance was elevated at distances of 0{\textendash}1 m compared to 80{\textendash}200 m (i.e. the {\textquoteleft}background{\textquoteright} community). The tube-building frenulate worms Siboglinum spp., along with peracarid crustaceans, dominated sediments within 1 m of vestimentiferan thickets. Species diversity was depressed within 1 m of thickets but with high rates of species accumulation, suggesting that seep sites greatly increase sediment heterogeneity and facilitate colonization by non-background macrofaunal species. Stable isotope data indicate chemosynthetic nutrition for some dominant macrofaunal species within 1 m of tubeworm thickets. The macrofaunal community near vestimentiferan thickets in San Clemente seep contains intermediate levels of species richness and diversity compared to other deep-sea seep areas in the northeast Pacific. There was low species overlap between the San Clemente seep macrofauna and communities in reducing habitats near wood-, whale-, and kelp-falls at similar depths within the region, suggesting that seeps harbor a distinct infaunal community.},
	keywords = {HOV Alvin (Human Occupied Vehicle)},
	issn = {0173-9565},
	doi = {10.1111/j.1439-0485.2010.00389.x},
	url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0485.2010.00389.x},
	author = {Bernardino, A F and Smith, C R}
}
