In the last decades, zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have invaded many freshwater systems with severe consequences for entire communities. Most benthic macroinvertebrates, especially amphipods and chironomids, increase in abundance in the presence of zebra mussels. Increased structural complexity and an unknown biotic factor lead to this effect. Dreissena-associated factors that might infl...

On polar coasts, seasonal sea-ice duration strongly influences shallow marine environments by affecting environmental conditions, such as light, sedimentation, and physical disturbance. Sea-ice dynamics are changing in response to climate, but there is limited understanding of how this might affect shallow marine environments and benthos. Here we present a unique set of physical and biological ...

Bathymetric gradients of biodiversity in the deep-sea benthos constitute a major class of large-scale biogeographic phenomena. They are typically portrayed and interpreted as variation in alpha diversity (the number of species recovered in individual samples) along depth transects. Here, we examine the depth ranges of deep-sea gastropods and bivalves in the eastern and western North Atlantic. T...

Abstract To accurately predict the impacts of ocean acidification on shallow-water ecosystems, we must account for biogeochemical impact local benthic communities, as well connectivity between offshore and onshore water masses. Estimation residence time can help quantify this determine degree to which benthos influence chemistry overlying column. We present estimates nearshore Guam utilize thes...

On Arctic shelves, where primary production occurs in both the pelagic and sympagic (ice-associated) habitats, organic material (OM) can constitute a disproportionate fraction of benthic diets due to higher sinking rates lower grazing pressure than OM. Less documented is how OM assimilation across feeding guilds varies seasonally relation sea ice duation. We therefore investigated relative abun...