@article {Lessard-Pilon2010,
	title = {{Community composition and temporal change at deep Gulf of Mexico cold seeps}},
	journal = {Deep-Sea Research. Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography},
	volume = {57},
	number = {21-23},
	year = {2010},
	pages = {1891{\textendash}1903},
	abstract = {Specialized cold-seep communities have been known to exist in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) since the mid-1980s, but only recently has extensive research been carried out on sites at depths {\textgreater}1000 m. This study uses a combination of imagery and analyses within a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework to examine the composition of mussel and tubeworm communities at depths between 2200 and 2800 m in the Gulf of Mexico, spatial relations among the fauna, and changes in these communities over time. Photomosaics at three discrete seep communities were obtained in 2006 and a video mosaic of another community was obtained in 1992. Each of these communities was re-imaged in 2007. In addition, quantitative physical collections were made within two of the photomosaic sites and used to confirm the identification of megafauna, quantify the occurrence of smaller and cryptic macrofauna, and allow first-order calculations of biomass within the sites. Substrate type had a significant effect on community composition. Significant associations were identified between live mussels with anemones, shrimp, and sea cucumbers, and between tubeworm aggregations and Munidopsis sp. crabs and encrusting fauna, indicating differences in the composition of megafauna associated with adjacent mussel and tubeworm aggregations. Little change was seen in the total area colonized by foundation fauna (tubeworms and mussels) between years at any site. However, significant changes occurred in the positions of mussels, even over periods of a single year, at all sites, and evidence for the establishment of new tubeworm aggregations between 1992 and 2007 was noted at one site. These photomosaics provide data suggesting that environmental conditions can change over small spatial and temporal scales and mussels move in response to these changes. The successional trends are examined and compared to the patterns that have been documented in shallow ({\textless}1000-m depth) Gulf of Mexico seep communities.},
	keywords = {HOV Alvin (Human Occupied Vehicle), ROV Jason (Remotely Operated Vehicle)},
	issn = {0967-0645},
	doi = {10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.05.012},
	url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.05.012},
	author = {Lessard-Pilon, S and Porter, M D and Cordes, E E and MacDonald, I R and Fisher, C R}
}
@article {MacDonald2010,
	title = {{Community structure comparisons of lower slope hydrocarbon seeps, northern Gulf of Mexico}},
	journal = {Deep-Sea Research. Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography},
	volume = {57},
	number = {21-23},
	year = {2010},
	pages = {1904{\textendash}1915},
	abstract = {Photographic sampling collected from ROV JASON III on randomized transects (generally 10 per site) was used to compare seven suspected hydrocarbon seeps on the lower continental slope at depths of 956 to 2330 m. The study design focused on areas containing high-amplitude reflectance patterns in seismic returns from the bottom. Animal samples nested in these areas and high-resolution photographic mosaics permitted fine-scale description of the community components and their associations with each other. The transect results showed three types of chemosynthetic community: carbonate prone, brine pool prone, and low-density. These communities are characterized by, respectively, abundant carbonate rubble and tubeworm clusters, bacterial mats and brine pools, and relatively sparse chemosynthetic fauna that tended to be overlooked by the photographic survey plan. These differences were not clearly related to depth or longitude because the sites are at the opposite eastern and western extents of the project region. Photographic survey is a statistically reliable method for detecting the carbonate rubble and bacterial mat types of community, but may be unreliable for sparse or clustered fauna such as seep mussels. Photographic survey results provided relatively low taxonomic resolution, but were sufficient to distinguish statistical differences in the abundance of characteristic faunal groups, such as the Echinoidea and Gorgonacea, associated with hydrocarbon seeps. Initial studies of statistical power indicate that future photographic surveys of suspected seep communities, if conducted with an equivalent level of effort, might detect the presence of more abundant habitat, including carbonate rubble, bacterial mats, and tubeworms, but could miss less abundant indicators.},
	keywords = {ROV Jason (Remotely Operated Vehicle)},
	issn = {0967-0645},
	doi = {10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.09.002},
	url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.09.002},
	author = {MacDonald, I R and Smith, M and Huffer, F W}
}
