Jill R Bourque, Ph.D.
Jill Bourque is a Research Ecologist at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
As a member of the Benthic Ecology Group at the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in Gainesville, Florida, Jill Bourque is involved in taxonomic identification and community analysis of marine macrofauna residing near deep-sea coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. Her research interests include the community ecology and ecosystem function of biogenic reefs in coastal and deep-sea habitats with a focus on how these habitats contribute to local and regional biodiversity.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., University of Delaware, 2009
M.S., University of Delaware, 2005
B.S., Rider University
Science and Products
Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities: Habitat Assessment and Evaluation
Through a collaborative effort with other federal agencies and academic and research institutions, USGS is working to fill data gaps, determine baseline conditions, and characterize key community conditions at mesophotic and deep benthic sites impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Ecosystems: EXPRESS
The continental shelf and slope offshore California, Oregon, and Washington are home to deep-sea corals, chemosynthetic communities, and other sensitive habitats that could be impacted by the development of energy and mineral resources. The EXPRESS (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) campaign will map and characterize these special areas to help guide ocean management...
EXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems
EXPRESS is a multi-year, multi-institution cooperative research campaign in deep sea areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, including the continental shelf and slope. EXPRESS data and information are intended to guide wise use of living marine resources and habitats, inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions, and improve offshore hazard assessments.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Multi-Sensor Core Logger Laboratory, Organic Geochemistry Laboratory, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
Stable isotope, seep megafauna video analysis, and macrofauna of submarine canyons, deep-sea corals and seep habitats in the western Atlantic from 2018-2019
Datasets of the sediment grain size and geochemistry, macrofaunal communities, stable isotope (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur) and seep video analyses associated with deep-sea corals, submarine canyons and seep habitats in the western Atlantic off the U.S. eastern coastline from 2018-2019.
Biological and environmental data collected in 2015 within mangrove habitats of Rookery Bay Preserve on Marco Island, FL.
Mangrove restoration efforts often focus on planting seedlings and ignore the underlying physical parameters causing mangrove loss, such as disruption to the hydrological regime. In order to determine success of hydrological restoration, baseline data need to be collected and assessed from a degraded mangrove system undergoing hydrological restoration. Sample collection occurred within...
Stable isotope data and terrain variables for isoscape modeling around two submarine canyons in the western Atlantic sampled in 2012-2013
Terrain variables extracted from bathymetry were used in combination with stable isotope datasets to construct geospatially-explicit isoscapes that predicted variation in carbon and nitrogen isotopes across the canyon-slope seascape, providing insights into the distribution and flow of energy resources, relevant to understanding whole community function.
Oceanographic conditions at Richardson reef reveal new suitable habitat for cold-water corals
Cold-water corals create complex structures, but our incomplete knowledge of their niche space limits our ability to understand their distribution and therefore the impact of the ecosystem services they provide in the ocean. The Richardson reef complex consists of over 150 km of linear reef tracts within an area of 75 km2 between 700-900 m depth. This reef experiences rapid shifts in...
Sediment grain size, geochemistry, and polychaete functional traits of Norfolk Canyon (western Atlantic) axis, hard substrate, and adjacent slope habitats, 2012-2013
Dataset of sediment geochemistry, water column parameters, and macrofaunal functional traits associated with sediment communities collected in Norfolk Canyon axis, hard substrates, and adjacent slope habitats in 2012 and 2013.
Sediment macrofaunal composition and sediment geochemistry of deep-sea coral habitats after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, 2010-2016
Deep-sea corals create complex habitats that support distinct sediment communities. Several deep-sea coral habitats were impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, and recovery of associated sediment communities may take several years. While spill-associated organic enrichment may lead to increased abundances of tolerant taxa, toxic effects of the spill may lead to declines in...
Benthic infaunal communities of Baltimore and Norfolk canyons
Submarine canyons are morphologically complex systems, acting as major conduits of organic matter along continental shelves, promoting gradients in food resources, habitat heterogeneity, and areas of sediment resuspension and deposition. Often environmental conditions within canyons can be highly distinct, particularly in different parts of the canyon and in contrast to adjacent slopes...
Stable isotopic insights into Bathymodiolus childressi at two seeps in the US Atlantic margin, data release
Chemosynthetic environments support distinct benthic communities capable of utilizing reduced chemical compounds for nutrition. Hundreds of methane seeps have been documented along the U.S. Atlantic margin (USAM), and detailed investigations at a few seeps have revealed distinct environments containing mussels, microbial mats, authigenic carbonates, and soft sediments. The dominant...
Sediment macrofaunal composition, sediment grain size, and taxa functional traits of multiple deep-sea coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico, 2009-2014
Deep-sea corals can create a highly complex, three-dimensional structure that facilitates sediment accumulation and influences adjacent sediment environments through altered hydrodynamic regimes. Infaunal communities adjacent to different coral types, including reef-building scleractinian corals and individual colonies of octocorals, are known to differ from background non-coral soft...
Filter Total Items: 22
Benthic community metrics track hydrologically stressed mangrove systems
Mangrove restoration efforts have increased in order to help combat their decline globally. While restoration efforts often focus on planting seedlings, underlying chronic issues, including disrupted hydrological regimes, can hinder restoration success. While improving hydrology may be more cost-effective and have higher success rates than planting seedlings alone, hydrological...
Authors
Amanda Demopoulos, Jill Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Nicole Cormier, Ken Krauss
Multidisciplinary characterisation of the biodiversity, geomorphology, oceanography and glacial history of Bowditch Seamount in the Sargasso Sea
The first multidisciplinary characterisation of Bowditch Seamount in the Sargasso Sea was conducted to provide new baseline knowledge of the biodiversity, geomorphology, oceanography and glacial history of this seamount. A dropframe camera transect 1483–1562 m deep on the seamount documented 77 megafaunal taxa including Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem indicator taxa such as sponges, cold...
Authors
Lea-Anne Henry, Igor Yashayaev, Claude Hillaire-Marcel, F. Javier Murillo, Ellen Kenchington, Struan Smith, Jenny Maccali, Jill Bourque, Louis L. Whitcomb, J. Murray Roberts
Consumer isoscapes reveal heterogeneous food webs in deep-sea submarine canyons and adjacent slopes
The deep sea is the largest biome on earth, but one of the least studied despite its critical role in global carbon cycling and climate buffering. Deep-sea organisms largely rely on particulate organic matter from the surface ocean for energy – these organisms in turn play critical roles in energy transport, transformation, storage, and sequestration of carbon. Within the deep sea...
Authors
Amanda Demopoulos, Brian J. Smith, Jill Bourque, Jason Chaytor, Jennifer McClain Counts, Nancy G. Prouty, Steve W. Ross, Sandra Brooke, Gerard Duineveld, Furu Mienis
Expanding our view of the cold-water coral niche and accounting of the ecosystem services of the reef habitat
Coral reefs are iconic ecosystems that support diverse, productive communities in both shallow and deep waters. However, our incomplete knowledge of cold-water coral (CWC) niche space limits our understanding of their distribution and precludes a complete accounting of the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we present the results of recent surveys of the CWC mound province on the...
Authors
Erik E. Cordes, Amanda Demopoulos, Andrew J. Davies, Ryan Gasbarro, Alexandria C. Rhoads, Elizabeth Loebeker, Derek Sowers, Jason Chaytor, Cheryl Morrison, Alexis M. Weinnig, Sandra Brooke, Jay J. Lunden, Furu Mienis, Samantha B. Joye, Andrea M. Quattrini, Tracey T. Sutton, Catherine S. McFadden, Jill Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Brian D. Andrews, Melissa J. Betters, Peter J. Etnoyer, Gary A. Wolff, Bernie B. Bernard, James M. Brooks, Michael K. Rasser, Caitlin Adams
Expanding our view of the cold-water coral niche and accounting of the ecosystem services of the reef habitat
Coral reefs are iconic ecosystems that support diverse, productive communities in both shallow and deep waters. However, our incomplete knowledge of cold-water coral (CWC) niche space limits our understanding of their distribution and precludes a complete accounting of the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we present the results of recent surveys of the CWC mound province on the...
Authors
Erick E. Cordes, Amanda Demopoulos, Andrew Davies, Ryan Gasbarro, Alexandria Rhoads, Elizabeth Lobecker, Dereck Sowers, Jason Chaytor, Cheryl Morrison, Alexis Marie Weinnig, Sandra Brooke, Jay J. Lunden, Furu Mienis, Samantha B. Joye, Andrea M. Quattrini, Tracey Sutton, Catherine McFadden, Jill Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Brian D. Andrews, Melissa Betters, Peter Etnoyer, Gary Wolff, Bernie Bernard, James Brooks, Michael Rasser, Caitlin Adams
Comprehensive inventory of habitat assessment and evaluation datasets to support Deepwater Horizon mesophotic and deep benthic communities
This report is part of the NOAA Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) Series of publications that share the results of work conducted by the Deepwater Horizon MDBC restoration projects. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an unprecedented event. Approximately 3.2 million barrels of oil were released into the deep ocean over nearly three months. The plume of oil moved...
Authors
Rachel Bassett, Jennifer Herting, Janessy Frometa, Stephanie M. Sharuga, Jacob Howell, Laughlin Siceloff, Jill Bourque, Megan Cromwell, Kirstie Francis, Randy Clark, Amanda Demopoulos, Andy David, Kristopher Benson, Stacey L. Harter
A characterization of the deep-sea coral and sponge community along the California, Oregon, and Washington coasts using a remotely operated vehicle on the EXPRESS 2019 expedition
NOAA’s Deep-Sea Coral Research Technology Program (DSCRTP) began a 4-year funding initiative for the U.S. West Coast in 2018. The goals of the West Coast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative were to: 1) gather baseline information on DSCS in areas subject to fishing regulation changes prior to the implementation of Amendment 28; 2) improve our understanding of known DSCS bycatch “hot spots”; and 3)...
Authors
Tom Laidig, Diana Watters, Nancy G. Prouty, Meredith Everett, Lizzie Duncan, Liz Clarke, Chris Caldow, Jill Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Amanda Demopoulos
Workshops report for mesophotic and deep benthic community fish, mobile invertebrates, sessile invertebrates and infauna
Two workshops with subject matter experts in the appropriate fields, were held in November and December 2021 to elicit guidance and feedback from the broader mesophotic and deep benthic scientific community. These workshops focused on best practices/approaches and identifying data gaps relative to habitat assessment and evaluation goals of the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Community (MDBC)...
Authors
Rachel Bassett, Stacey L. Harter, Randy Clark, Ian Zink, Katherine Hornick, Jennifer Hartman, Hanna Bliska, Melissa Carle, Tracey Sutton, Amanda Demopoulos, Andy David, Kristopher Benson, Jill Bourque, Martha S. Nizinski, Nancy G. Prouty, Stephanie M. Sharuga, Alicia Caporaso, Jennifer Le, Jennifer Herting, Cheryl Morrison, Matthew Poti
Impacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Executive SummaryOn June 24, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to request their assistance in answering questions regarding coastal sediment resource management within the Coastal Barrier Resources System as defined by the...
Authors
Jennifer L. Miselis, James G. Flocks, Sara Zeigler, Davina Passeri, David R. Smith, Jill Bourque, Christopher R. Sherwood, Christopher G. Smith, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Kathryn Smith, Kristen Hart, David C. Kazyak, Alicia Berlin, Bianca Prohaska, Teresa Calleson, Kristi Yanchis
The role of habitat heterogeneity and canyon processes in structuring sediment macrofaunal communities associated with hard substrate habitats in Norfolk Canyon, USA
Topographic and hydrodynamic complexity in submarine canyons promotes steep gradients in food availability and geophysical parameters which affect ecological assemblages and beta diversity. While habitat heterogeneity in submarine canyons is known to support diverse and abundant megafaunal communities, due to difficulty in sampling little is known about infaunal communities adjacent to...
Authors
Jill Bourque, Amanda Demopoulos, Craig M. Robertson, Furu Mienis
Submarine canyons influence macrofaunal diversity and density patterns in the deep-sea benthos
Submarine canyons are often morphologically complex features in the deep sea contributing to habitat heterogeneity. In addition, they act as major conduits of organic matter from the shallow productive shelf to the food deprived deep-sea, promoting gradients in food resources and areas of sediment resuspension and deposition. This study focuses on the Baltimore and Norfolk canyons, in...
Authors
Craig M. Robertson, Amanda Demopoulos, Jill Bourque, Furu Mienis, Gerard Duineveld, Mark Lavaleye, R. Koivisto, S. Brooke, S. Ross, M. Rhode, A. Davies
Benthic infaunal communities of Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons
The imperative for finding, cataloging, and understanding continental margin diversity derives from the many key functions, goods and services provided by margin ecosystems and by an increasingly deleterious human footprint on our continental slopes (Levin and Dayton 2009). Progress in seafloor mapping technology and direct observation has revealed unexpected heterogeneity, with a mosaic...
Authors
Craig M. Robertson, Jill Bourque, Amanda Demopoulos
Science and Products
Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities: Habitat Assessment and Evaluation
Through a collaborative effort with other federal agencies and academic and research institutions, USGS is working to fill data gaps, determine baseline conditions, and characterize key community conditions at mesophotic and deep benthic sites impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Ecosystems: EXPRESS
The continental shelf and slope offshore California, Oregon, and Washington are home to deep-sea corals, chemosynthetic communities, and other sensitive habitats that could be impacted by the development of energy and mineral resources. The EXPRESS (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) campaign will map and characterize these special areas to help guide ocean management...
EXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems
EXPRESS is a multi-year, multi-institution cooperative research campaign in deep sea areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, including the continental shelf and slope. EXPRESS data and information are intended to guide wise use of living marine resources and habitats, inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions, and improve offshore hazard assessments.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Multi-Sensor Core Logger Laboratory, Organic Geochemistry Laboratory, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
Stable isotope, seep megafauna video analysis, and macrofauna of submarine canyons, deep-sea corals and seep habitats in the western Atlantic from 2018-2019
Datasets of the sediment grain size and geochemistry, macrofaunal communities, stable isotope (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur) and seep video analyses associated with deep-sea corals, submarine canyons and seep habitats in the western Atlantic off the U.S. eastern coastline from 2018-2019.
Biological and environmental data collected in 2015 within mangrove habitats of Rookery Bay Preserve on Marco Island, FL.
Mangrove restoration efforts often focus on planting seedlings and ignore the underlying physical parameters causing mangrove loss, such as disruption to the hydrological regime. In order to determine success of hydrological restoration, baseline data need to be collected and assessed from a degraded mangrove system undergoing hydrological restoration. Sample collection occurred within...
Stable isotope data and terrain variables for isoscape modeling around two submarine canyons in the western Atlantic sampled in 2012-2013
Terrain variables extracted from bathymetry were used in combination with stable isotope datasets to construct geospatially-explicit isoscapes that predicted variation in carbon and nitrogen isotopes across the canyon-slope seascape, providing insights into the distribution and flow of energy resources, relevant to understanding whole community function.
Oceanographic conditions at Richardson reef reveal new suitable habitat for cold-water corals
Cold-water corals create complex structures, but our incomplete knowledge of their niche space limits our ability to understand their distribution and therefore the impact of the ecosystem services they provide in the ocean. The Richardson reef complex consists of over 150 km of linear reef tracts within an area of 75 km2 between 700-900 m depth. This reef experiences rapid shifts in...
Sediment grain size, geochemistry, and polychaete functional traits of Norfolk Canyon (western Atlantic) axis, hard substrate, and adjacent slope habitats, 2012-2013
Dataset of sediment geochemistry, water column parameters, and macrofaunal functional traits associated with sediment communities collected in Norfolk Canyon axis, hard substrates, and adjacent slope habitats in 2012 and 2013.
Sediment macrofaunal composition and sediment geochemistry of deep-sea coral habitats after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, 2010-2016
Deep-sea corals create complex habitats that support distinct sediment communities. Several deep-sea coral habitats were impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, and recovery of associated sediment communities may take several years. While spill-associated organic enrichment may lead to increased abundances of tolerant taxa, toxic effects of the spill may lead to declines in...
Benthic infaunal communities of Baltimore and Norfolk canyons
Submarine canyons are morphologically complex systems, acting as major conduits of organic matter along continental shelves, promoting gradients in food resources, habitat heterogeneity, and areas of sediment resuspension and deposition. Often environmental conditions within canyons can be highly distinct, particularly in different parts of the canyon and in contrast to adjacent slopes...
Stable isotopic insights into Bathymodiolus childressi at two seeps in the US Atlantic margin, data release
Chemosynthetic environments support distinct benthic communities capable of utilizing reduced chemical compounds for nutrition. Hundreds of methane seeps have been documented along the U.S. Atlantic margin (USAM), and detailed investigations at a few seeps have revealed distinct environments containing mussels, microbial mats, authigenic carbonates, and soft sediments. The dominant...
Sediment macrofaunal composition, sediment grain size, and taxa functional traits of multiple deep-sea coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico, 2009-2014
Deep-sea corals can create a highly complex, three-dimensional structure that facilitates sediment accumulation and influences adjacent sediment environments through altered hydrodynamic regimes. Infaunal communities adjacent to different coral types, including reef-building scleractinian corals and individual colonies of octocorals, are known to differ from background non-coral soft...
Filter Total Items: 22
Benthic community metrics track hydrologically stressed mangrove systems
Mangrove restoration efforts have increased in order to help combat their decline globally. While restoration efforts often focus on planting seedlings, underlying chronic issues, including disrupted hydrological regimes, can hinder restoration success. While improving hydrology may be more cost-effective and have higher success rates than planting seedlings alone, hydrological...
Authors
Amanda Demopoulos, Jill Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Nicole Cormier, Ken Krauss
Multidisciplinary characterisation of the biodiversity, geomorphology, oceanography and glacial history of Bowditch Seamount in the Sargasso Sea
The first multidisciplinary characterisation of Bowditch Seamount in the Sargasso Sea was conducted to provide new baseline knowledge of the biodiversity, geomorphology, oceanography and glacial history of this seamount. A dropframe camera transect 1483–1562 m deep on the seamount documented 77 megafaunal taxa including Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem indicator taxa such as sponges, cold...
Authors
Lea-Anne Henry, Igor Yashayaev, Claude Hillaire-Marcel, F. Javier Murillo, Ellen Kenchington, Struan Smith, Jenny Maccali, Jill Bourque, Louis L. Whitcomb, J. Murray Roberts
Consumer isoscapes reveal heterogeneous food webs in deep-sea submarine canyons and adjacent slopes
The deep sea is the largest biome on earth, but one of the least studied despite its critical role in global carbon cycling and climate buffering. Deep-sea organisms largely rely on particulate organic matter from the surface ocean for energy – these organisms in turn play critical roles in energy transport, transformation, storage, and sequestration of carbon. Within the deep sea...
Authors
Amanda Demopoulos, Brian J. Smith, Jill Bourque, Jason Chaytor, Jennifer McClain Counts, Nancy G. Prouty, Steve W. Ross, Sandra Brooke, Gerard Duineveld, Furu Mienis
Expanding our view of the cold-water coral niche and accounting of the ecosystem services of the reef habitat
Coral reefs are iconic ecosystems that support diverse, productive communities in both shallow and deep waters. However, our incomplete knowledge of cold-water coral (CWC) niche space limits our understanding of their distribution and precludes a complete accounting of the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we present the results of recent surveys of the CWC mound province on the...
Authors
Erik E. Cordes, Amanda Demopoulos, Andrew J. Davies, Ryan Gasbarro, Alexandria C. Rhoads, Elizabeth Loebeker, Derek Sowers, Jason Chaytor, Cheryl Morrison, Alexis M. Weinnig, Sandra Brooke, Jay J. Lunden, Furu Mienis, Samantha B. Joye, Andrea M. Quattrini, Tracey T. Sutton, Catherine S. McFadden, Jill Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Brian D. Andrews, Melissa J. Betters, Peter J. Etnoyer, Gary A. Wolff, Bernie B. Bernard, James M. Brooks, Michael K. Rasser, Caitlin Adams
Expanding our view of the cold-water coral niche and accounting of the ecosystem services of the reef habitat
Coral reefs are iconic ecosystems that support diverse, productive communities in both shallow and deep waters. However, our incomplete knowledge of cold-water coral (CWC) niche space limits our understanding of their distribution and precludes a complete accounting of the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we present the results of recent surveys of the CWC mound province on the...
Authors
Erick E. Cordes, Amanda Demopoulos, Andrew Davies, Ryan Gasbarro, Alexandria Rhoads, Elizabeth Lobecker, Dereck Sowers, Jason Chaytor, Cheryl Morrison, Alexis Marie Weinnig, Sandra Brooke, Jay J. Lunden, Furu Mienis, Samantha B. Joye, Andrea M. Quattrini, Tracey Sutton, Catherine McFadden, Jill Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Brian D. Andrews, Melissa Betters, Peter Etnoyer, Gary Wolff, Bernie Bernard, James Brooks, Michael Rasser, Caitlin Adams
Comprehensive inventory of habitat assessment and evaluation datasets to support Deepwater Horizon mesophotic and deep benthic communities
This report is part of the NOAA Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) Series of publications that share the results of work conducted by the Deepwater Horizon MDBC restoration projects. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an unprecedented event. Approximately 3.2 million barrels of oil were released into the deep ocean over nearly three months. The plume of oil moved...
Authors
Rachel Bassett, Jennifer Herting, Janessy Frometa, Stephanie M. Sharuga, Jacob Howell, Laughlin Siceloff, Jill Bourque, Megan Cromwell, Kirstie Francis, Randy Clark, Amanda Demopoulos, Andy David, Kristopher Benson, Stacey L. Harter
A characterization of the deep-sea coral and sponge community along the California, Oregon, and Washington coasts using a remotely operated vehicle on the EXPRESS 2019 expedition
NOAA’s Deep-Sea Coral Research Technology Program (DSCRTP) began a 4-year funding initiative for the U.S. West Coast in 2018. The goals of the West Coast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative were to: 1) gather baseline information on DSCS in areas subject to fishing regulation changes prior to the implementation of Amendment 28; 2) improve our understanding of known DSCS bycatch “hot spots”; and 3)...
Authors
Tom Laidig, Diana Watters, Nancy G. Prouty, Meredith Everett, Lizzie Duncan, Liz Clarke, Chris Caldow, Jill Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Amanda Demopoulos
Workshops report for mesophotic and deep benthic community fish, mobile invertebrates, sessile invertebrates and infauna
Two workshops with subject matter experts in the appropriate fields, were held in November and December 2021 to elicit guidance and feedback from the broader mesophotic and deep benthic scientific community. These workshops focused on best practices/approaches and identifying data gaps relative to habitat assessment and evaluation goals of the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Community (MDBC)...
Authors
Rachel Bassett, Stacey L. Harter, Randy Clark, Ian Zink, Katherine Hornick, Jennifer Hartman, Hanna Bliska, Melissa Carle, Tracey Sutton, Amanda Demopoulos, Andy David, Kristopher Benson, Jill Bourque, Martha S. Nizinski, Nancy G. Prouty, Stephanie M. Sharuga, Alicia Caporaso, Jennifer Le, Jennifer Herting, Cheryl Morrison, Matthew Poti
Impacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Executive SummaryOn June 24, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to request their assistance in answering questions regarding coastal sediment resource management within the Coastal Barrier Resources System as defined by the...
Authors
Jennifer L. Miselis, James G. Flocks, Sara Zeigler, Davina Passeri, David R. Smith, Jill Bourque, Christopher R. Sherwood, Christopher G. Smith, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Kathryn Smith, Kristen Hart, David C. Kazyak, Alicia Berlin, Bianca Prohaska, Teresa Calleson, Kristi Yanchis
The role of habitat heterogeneity and canyon processes in structuring sediment macrofaunal communities associated with hard substrate habitats in Norfolk Canyon, USA
Topographic and hydrodynamic complexity in submarine canyons promotes steep gradients in food availability and geophysical parameters which affect ecological assemblages and beta diversity. While habitat heterogeneity in submarine canyons is known to support diverse and abundant megafaunal communities, due to difficulty in sampling little is known about infaunal communities adjacent to...
Authors
Jill Bourque, Amanda Demopoulos, Craig M. Robertson, Furu Mienis
Submarine canyons influence macrofaunal diversity and density patterns in the deep-sea benthos
Submarine canyons are often morphologically complex features in the deep sea contributing to habitat heterogeneity. In addition, they act as major conduits of organic matter from the shallow productive shelf to the food deprived deep-sea, promoting gradients in food resources and areas of sediment resuspension and deposition. This study focuses on the Baltimore and Norfolk canyons, in...
Authors
Craig M. Robertson, Amanda Demopoulos, Jill Bourque, Furu Mienis, Gerard Duineveld, Mark Lavaleye, R. Koivisto, S. Brooke, S. Ross, M. Rhode, A. Davies
Benthic infaunal communities of Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons
The imperative for finding, cataloging, and understanding continental margin diversity derives from the many key functions, goods and services provided by margin ecosystems and by an increasingly deleterious human footprint on our continental slopes (Levin and Dayton 2009). Progress in seafloor mapping technology and direct observation has revealed unexpected heterogeneity, with a mosaic...
Authors
Craig M. Robertson, Jill Bourque, Amanda Demopoulos