2026-10-11T14:32:34Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34008627 2026-09-28T04:34:57Z category_62 portal_316 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Data Sheet 5_Temporal dynamics in benthopelagic community composition and abundance on the edge of the Monterey Submarine Canyon.csv Jamie A. George (25119213) Mareike Körner (25119216) Kim R. Reisenbichler (6019112) Bruce Robison (606223) Rob E. Sherlock (25119219) Astrid B. Leitner (11058387) Marine Biology benthic lander benthopelagic coupling diel vertical migration Monterey Submarine Canyon topographic influence <p>Submarine canyons are complex topographic features that occur along continental slopes, often acting as hotspots for biodiversity. The Monterey Submarine Canyon is the largest marine canyon on the Pacific coast of North America. Much of the pelagic community in the canyon undertakes diel vertical migrations, ascending toward the surface at sunset and descending to species-specific preferred depths at sunrise. The abrupt bathymetry of the canyon brings pelagic migrators into contact with the benthic continental slope and seafloor community, creating an intersectional boundary zone. We investigated this habitat using a benthic time-lapse video system equipped with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler that was deployed 7 times between 2020 and 2022 at 200 m, just below the canyon rim. We hypothesized that there would be: 1) strong diel shifts in boundary zone community composition, 2) significant current influence on the benthopelagic community, and 3) that this boundary zone would be a site of strong benthopelagic coupling. A total of 503 benthic videos were annotated. Forty-one predatory interactions were observed, 34 of which occurred between benthic and pelagic organisms, which may suggest that the canyon walls do support benthopelagic interactions. Analyses were focused on the temporal and environmental drivers of the abundances of seven specific groups of taxa. Pre-sunrise peaks in abundance, indicative of topographic blocking of downward migrators, were present among the majority of groups analyzed. Across-isobath, along-isobath, and vertical current velocities, moon phase, and temperature consistently influenced the abundances of some taxa, however environmental variables only explained 10.9% of the variation in community composition. Our results support the presence of consistent diel shifts in canyon edge community composition. Physical-biological coupling influenced some migratory taxa within the boundary zone and appeared to be facilitated by topographic blockage. Currents, however, did not account for as much variability in the benthopelagic community as initially expected. Understanding the drivers of community composition and benthopelagic coupling that occur in the Monterey Submarine Canyon has implications for efficient predator management and conservation of these critical habitats. However, further investigation is required to fully understand these environmental drivers.</p> 2026-09-28T04:34:57Z Dataset Dataset 10.3389/fmars.2026.1913237.s004 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Data_Sheet_5_Temporal_dynamics_in_benthopelagic_community_composition_and_abundance_on_the_edge_of_the_Monterey_Submarine_Canyon_csv/34008627 CC BY 4.0