M1.8 Subtidal mud plains

M1. Marine shelf biome

M1

Profile summary

Full profile at https://global-ecosystems.org/explore/groups/M1.8

Brief description

These low energy, muddy ocean shelf ecosystems are moderately productive and typically dominated by microalgal and bacterial primary producers, microbial decomposers, and larger deposit feeders like burrowing polychaete worms and molluscs. Unlike subtidal sand beds (M1.7), the microbial community has a strong influence on biogeochemical cycles. Low oxygen zones can form where concentrations of organic matter and associated high bacterial activity deplete this limited resource.

Key features

Soft sediment with limited primary production, abundant micro- and macro-detritivores and associated foraging predators.

Overview of distribution

Low energy waters of continental and island shelves.

Map description

These are ecosystem functional groups that are widespread through the global extent of the marine shelf biome. Reliable data on their precise distribution are limited. To represent regional uncertainty, their indicative distributions were mapped in as minor occurrences through the full extent of the marine ‘shelf’ base layer as mapped by Harris et al. (2014b). Occurrences were converted to 30 arc second spatial resolution..

Map code and version: M1.8.web.orig v1.0. DOI

Version history

Profile versions

  • v2.1 (2022-04-06): BA Polidoro; SE Swearer; DA Keith.1
  • v2.01 (NA): NA.
  • v2.0 (2020-06-15): BA Polidoro; SE Swearer; DA Keith.
  • v1.0 (2020-01-20): BA Polidoro; DA Keith.

Available maps

Read more details about the current map versions here.

  • Indicative Map (code: M1.8.IM.orig, version v1.0)
  • Web navigation (code: M1.8.web.orig, version v1.0)

Read more details about older or alternative versions of maps for this functional group.

References

Main references

References used in the different versions of the profiles.

  • Byers JE, Grabowski JH (2014) Soft-sediment communities Marine community ecology and conservation (Eds. MD Bertness, JF Bruno, BR Silliman, JJ Stachowicz), pp227-249. Sinauer, Sunderland
  • Snelgrove PVR (1999) Getting to the bottom of marine biodiversity: sedimentary habitats Bioscience 49: 129-138 DOI:10.2307/1313538

Map references

References used in the different versions of the maps (current and discarded).

  • Harris PT, Macmillan-Lawler M, Rupp J, Baker EK (2014) Geomorphology of the oceans. Marine Geology 352: 4-24. 10.1016/j.margeo.2014.01.011

Footnotes

  1. This is the current version available at official site.↩︎