Constellation, le dépôt institutionnel de l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Résumé

This case study focuses on the characterization of fine-scale habitats associated with cold-water corals in three areas off Eastern Canada. Remotely operated vehicle (ROV)-based video, oceanographic, and bathymetric data were collected in 13 dives ranging from 200 to 3000m deep at The Gully, the Flemish Cap, and the Orphan Knoll. Maps of potential habitats were produced and spatially compared with different taxa distributions, and species distribution models were computed to quantify the association of different environmental factors with cold-water corals. Results highlighted significant differences in corals’ environmental preferences at all taxonomic levels. Results also showed the importance of collecting high-resolution chemical and oceanographic data as their integration with geomorphometric variables (e.g., aspect, rugosity, slope, topographic position) provides a more comprehensive picture of environmental niches. The exploration of cold-water coral habitats helped identify many cases of co-occurrences with a variety of other taxa including many deep-sea sponges.