Cold-water coral reefs - WWF UK

Cold-water coral reefs
Population: A group of organisms of the same species
inhabiting a prescribed area.
Predation: The consumption of living tissue by another
organism; commonly used to imply capture of one animal
by another animal.
Productivity: A measure of the capacity of a biological system,
e.g. the amount of fish supported or reproduced by a given
area in a given time.
Recruitment: Refers to the addition of new individuals to a
population.
Reef patch: A descriptive term for colonies composed of
closely compacted upright branches.
Remote operated vehicle (ROV): Unmanned submersible
connected to the research vessel by a cable; carries
camera systems, manipulators or other devices.
Rock-hopper trawl: A demersal otter trawl with rubber discs
attached to the ground rope and a second, off-centre rope,
capable of trawling in areas of rough seabed.
Salinity: The concentration of salt in water, usually measured
in parts per thousand (ppt).
Scleractinians: So called ‘hard’ corals which have
limestone skeletons and which belong to the order
Scleractinia.
Sclerites: Special structures within the coral tissue made of
calcium carbonate.
Seamount: An individual peak extending several hundred
metres above the ocean floor.
Sediment: Particles of organic or inorganic origin that
accumulate in loose form.
Sediment resuspension: Current- or wave-induced uptake of
sediment into the water column.
Sedimentary structures: This term refers to all
characteristics in sedimentary rocks. These
characteristics include layering, ripple marks, crossbedding,
and many more.
Shallow water: Water of depth such that surface waves are
noticeably affected by bottom topography. Typically this
implies a water depth equivalent to less than half the
wave length.
Shelf break: Region where the continental shelf and
continental slope meet. Commonly around 200 m water
depth.
Sill: A submarine ridge partially separating bodies of water
such as fjords and seas from one another or from the
open ocean.
Soft coral: General term for askeletal Anthozoa.
Solitary corals: Corals composed of single individuals. There
may be no clear distinction between single individuals
with many mouths and colonies of individuals with single
mouths.
Spawning: The release of gametes into the water column.
Speciation: Evolutionary processes which lead to an increase
in the number of species.
Stony coral: General term for skeletal Anthozoa. Synonymous
with hard coral.
Storm wave base: The plane or maximum depth to which
waves may erode the sea bottom during severe storms.
Stylasterids: Corals of the family Stylasteridae, including lace
corals; small, often brightly coloured, calcified hydrozoan
corals with a delicate, branching structure.
Submarine canyons: Deep, V-shaped canyons cut into the
continental slope and often associated with major rivers.
Suspension feeder: An organism that feeds by capturing
particles suspended in the water column, e.g. barnacles.
Symbiosis: The close association between two organisms
where there is substantial mutual benefit.
Systematics: The study of evolutionary and genetic
relationships of organisms.
Thermocline: Layer of water column in which temperature
gradient is pronounced.
Trophic level: A nourishment level in a food chain. Plant
producers constitute the lowest level, followed by
herbivores and a series of carnivores at the higher levels.
Upwelling: The process by which deep, cold, nutrient-laden
water is brought to the surface, usually by diverging
equatorial currents or coastal currents that pull water
away from the coast.
Voucher specimen: A specimen archived in a permanent
collection (e.g. a museum) as evidence of occurrence at a
particular time and place and of any identification or
description based on it.
Zooplankton: General term for tiny animals and other nonphotosynthetic
organisms of open water which have little
or no capacity for independent movement.
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