西太平洋海沟洋脊交联区海山的生物多样性格局与连通性及驱动因素

海山以其高生物多样性、高渔业资源和高矿产资源价值，成为国际逐鹿深海生物资源及脆弱生态系统保护的热点。我国因对海山生物多样性及连通性认识不足，现有基础尚不能有效支撑相关国际谈判。本项目除解决国家重大需求，还涉及如下深海前沿问题：海山和陆地高山在生物成带分布格局上是否具有可比性，相邻海山生物如何分布与连通，何种因素驱动了其水平和垂直分布格局及连通性。本项目针对上述问题，基于对雅浦-马里亚纳海沟洋脊交联区四座海山前期综合调查所获的丰富样品和数据积累，通过生物样品结合ROV影像资料的定量与定性解析，创新连通性研究手段并运用多学科交叉，揭示海山生物的水平和垂直分布格局与变异特点及种群连通性，阐明浅水和深水海山在多样性格局上的异同，阐释驱动海山生物多样性空间格局和相邻海山低连通性的主要因素。本研究将显著提高对海山生物多样性的科学认知，为国家深海资源开发利用及相关国际协定谈判提供急需的科学依据。

Seamount, with its unique biological community, high biodiversity and high fishery and mineral resources, has become a hotspot in the research and protection of deep-sea fragile biodiversity and ecosystem. Understanding the spatial pattern of seamount biodiversity and its population connectivity is the key to the exploitation, utilization and protection of seamount ecosystem. So far, our knowledge of seamount biodiversity remains very limited, resulting in controversial explanations on their biodiversity and distribution pattern, largely due to the different groups used for analyses and the bias of undersampling. Population connectivity is the key to understand the distribution pattern of seamount biodiversity, however, relevant data are very scant. The lack of data on the seamount biodiversity and population connectivity cannot fully support the relevant negotiations of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). Based on multidiscipline exploration and preliminary investigation of four seamounts in the Western Pacific Yap Trench-Mariana Trench-Caroline Ridge cross-linked zone, we put forward the following scientific questions: Are the communities of seamounts and land mountains comparable in zonal distribution pattern? How are the adjacent seamount megafauna horizontally and vertically distributed and connected? What are the main factors driving their horizontal and vertical distribution pattern and connectivity? The present study will be based mainly on the detailed examination of abundant megafaunal specimens and the quantitative and qualitative analysis of ultra-high definition image data obtained by remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and combine with the analysis of multidisciplinary data. We aim to: i) reveal the horizontal and vertical distribution pattern, variation characteristics and population connectivity of seamount megafauna diversity, ii) clear the similarities and differences of shallow-sea and deep-sea seamounts in the diversity pattern, and iii) explain the main environmental and biological factors driving the spatial pattern of biodiversity in adjacent seamounts and the low level of species overlap between seamounts. This study will improve our understanding of seamount biodiversity and distribution with innovative approaches to population connectivity research, provide scientific basis and necessary support for the negotiation of the BBNJ international agreement and rational development of deep-sea resources.