One on Top of the Other: Exploring the Habitat Cascades Phenomenon in Iconic Biogenic Marine Habitats

Abstract

Biogenic habitats often form hot spots of biodiversity. However, the role of epibiosis and the ‘habitat cascades’ phenomenon in enhancing structural heterogeneity and biodiversity in biogenic habitats in remote and difficult-to-access areas is little known. In this work, we provide the first insight by exploring epibiosis across remote habitats that often support high levels of biodiversity, i.e., cold-water coral reefs and marine caves. The present study acts as a stepping-stone for the further exploration of ‘habitat cascades’ in habitats where scientific knowledge about this phenomenon is limited.

Keywords

• epibiosis
• cold-water coral reefs
• deep sea
• biostalactites
• marine caves
• habitat engineers