In:
BioScience, Oxford University Press (OUP), Vol. 74, No. 1 ( 2024-01-31), p. 12-24
Abstract:
An estimated three million shipwrecks exist worldwide and are recognized as cultural resources and foci of archaeological investigations. Shipwrecks also support ecological resources by providing underwater habitats that can be colonized by diverse organisms ranging from microbes to megafauna. In the present article, we review the emerging ecological subdiscipline of shipwreck ecology, which aims to understand ecological functions and processes that occur on shipwrecks. We synthesize how shipwrecks create habitat for biota across multiple trophic levels and then describe how fundamental ecological functions and processes, including succession, zonation, connectivity, energy flow, disturbance, and habitat degradation, manifest on shipwrecks. We highlight future directions in shipwreck ecology that are ripe for exploration, placing a particular emphasis on how shipwrecks may serve as experimental networks to address long-standing ecological questions.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0006-3568
,
1525-3244
DOI:
10.1093/biosci/biad084
Language:
English
Publisher:
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Publication Date:
2024
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2066019-4
SSG:
12