Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities

The Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) portfolio comprises multiple projects selected by the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group to restore natural resources injured by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of America. Projects focus on seafloor mapping, coral propagation, and habitat assessment to improve our understanding, inform management, and ensure resiliency of MDBC habitats. In support of MDBC restoration, the Invertebrate Zoology department at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is curating voucher specimens and generating genetic resources for a wide range of Gulf of America invertebrate taxa. MDBC partner scientists are also generating broad genetic resources for key species and habitats. This umbrella BioProject is managed by NMNH on behalf of MDBC partners to link genetic data outputs of MDBC portfolio activities.