Seamounts as potential stepping stones for the dispersal of meiobenthos. Comparative taxonomic, faunistic, and biogeographic studies of the Kinorhyncha from different seamounts and islands of the north eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean

本项目是海底山对海洋中新生类群扩散的潜在作用的综合研究的一部分。它的目的是为解决少数动物悖论的问题作出贡献。基于小的体型，缺乏远洋阶段，以及严格的全底生生活方式，小底生动物的成员被认为具有有限的扩散潜力。然而，在属甚至种的水平上，许多代表性的小型动物确实在世界海洋中表现出广泛到世界性的分布。在过去的几十年里，人们对海底山进行了更深入的研究，因为它们可能是这种全底生分类群扩散的垫脚石。小底栖生物最近才被纳入这类研究。调查的重点是对桡足类Harpacticoida、Halacarida和Loricifera等分类群进行了古生物学和动物学的比较。有必要将这一比较推广到其他的低级动物类群，以便对低级动物群得出更广义的结论。Kinorhyncha经常出现在海底山的样本中，但尚未进行详细研究。这里应用的项目材料来自七个东北大西洋和地中海海底山脉以及马德拉岛和圣港岛。因此，第一次有了全面的材料，可以在区域一级对海底山进行有意义的比较动物调查。申请人拟对上述地点的金莲进行定量分类学和多变量分析。我们将集中讨论以下问题：(1)海山和岛屿是否具有具有大量特有物种的孤立的kinorhynch lebensgemeinschaft的特征；(2)不同地点的lebensgemeinschaft的组成是否广泛一致，从而有利于物种的交换。来自地中海大陆（西班牙，意大利）的物种将包括在研究中。我们期望通过我们目前对Harpacticoida的研究，为我们对海洋中新生分类群的分布的理解做出重大贡献。

The here applied project is part of a comprehensive study on the potential role of seamounts for the dispersal of marine meiobenthic taxa. It intends to contribute to solving the problem of the meiofauna paradox. Based on small body size, lack of pelagic stages, and a strictly holobenthic life style, members of the meiobenthos are suggested to possess a limited potential for dispersal. Nevertheless, many representatives of the meiofauna do show a wide to cosmopolitan distribution in the world oceans at genus and even species level. During the past decades, seamounts have been studied more intensely, because they might play a role as stepping stones for the dispersal of such holobenthic taxa.Meiobenthos has been included into such studies just recently. Investigations focussed on a chorologic-faunistic comparison of taxa like Copepoda Harpacticoida, Halacarida, and Loricifera. It is necessary to extend the comparison to other meiobenthic taxa in order to come to more generalized conclusions for meiofauna. Kinorhyncha occur regularly in samples from seamounts but have not been studied in detail. The material of the here applied project originates from seven north east Atlantic and Mediterranean seamounts as well as from the islands Madeira and Porto Santo. For the first time, comprehensive material is therefore available for a meaningful comparative faunistic investigation of seamounts at a regional level. The applicants intend to undertake a quantitative taxonomic and multivariate analysis of the Kinorhyncha from the above mentioned locations. We shall focus on the questions (1) whether the seamounts and islands are characterized by an isolated kinorhynch lebensgemeinschaft with numerous endemic species or (2) whether the lebensgemeinschaften of different locations agree widely in their composition which may favour an exchange of species. Species from the Mediterranean mainland (Spain, Italy) will be included in the study. We expect to provide a major contribution to our understanding of the dispersal of meiobenthic taxa in the oceans in connection with our current examinations of Harpacticoida.