Extensive Rhodolith Beds Cover the Summits of Southwestern Atlantic Ocean Seamounts

• DOI: 10.2112/11t-00007.1
• Publication Date: 2011-11-04T17:50:20Z
• Authors: Guilherme H. Pere...; Gilberto M. Amado...; Rodrigo L. de Moura; Alex C. Bastos; Silvia M. P. B. G...; Leonardo T. Salgado; Ronaldo B. Franci...; Ricardo G. Bahia; Douglas Pinto Abr...; Arthur Z. Guth; Poliana S. Brasil...
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; 14. Life underwater; 01 natural sciences

Abstract PEREIRA-FILHO, G.H.; AMADO-FILHO, G.M.; MOURA, R.L.; BASTOS, A.C.; GUIMARAES, S.M.P.B.; SALGADO, L.T.; FRANCINI-FILHO, R.B.; BAHIA, R.G.; ABRANTES, D.P.; GUTH, A.Z., and BRASILEIRO, P.S., 2012. Extensive rhodolith beds cover the summits of southwestern Atlantic Ocean seamounts. Calcium carbonate production by marine organisms is an essential process in the global budget of , and coralline reefs are the most important benthic carbonate producers. Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are well recognized as the most important carbonate builders in the tropical Brazilian continental shelf, forming structural reefs and extensive rhodolith beds. However, the distribution of CCA beds, as well as their role in mineralization in mesophotic communities and isolated carbonate banks, is still poorly known. To characterize the bottom features of several seamount summits in the Southwestern Atlantic (SWA), side-scan sonar records, remotely operated vehicle imagery, and benthic samples with mixed-gas scuba diving wer...