Data from: Deep-sea benthic ostracodes from multiple core and epibenthic sledge samples in Icelandic waters

Deep-sea benthic Ostracoda (Crustacea) in Icelandic waters are poorly known. Here we report deep-sea ostracode assemblages from the multiple core (MUC) and the epibenthic sledge (EBS) samples collected from Icelandic waters by the first cruise of the IceAGE (Icelandic Marine Animals: Genetics and Ecology) project. Samples from shelf-edge and lower-bathyal working areas are examined. The results show (1) distinct MUC and EBS faunas due to the large difference in mesh size of MUC and EBS; and (2) distinct shelf-edge and lower-bathyal ostracode faunas. Such remarkable faunal turnover from shelf to bathyal depths is similar to the faunal turnovers reported from depth transects in the adjacent regions of the western North Atlantic Ocean, the Greenland Sea, and the North Sea, but, at the same time, there are certain differences in the faunal composition between the Icelandic waters and these adjacent regions. In addition, we illustrate many Icelandic deep-sea ostracode species with high-resolution scanning electron microscopy and composite all-in-focus stereomicroscopic images for the first time. These results provide important basic information on deep-sea ostracode research and biogeography of this important region connecting North Atlantic proper and Nordic Seas.

冰岛海域的深海底栖介形类（Ostracoda，甲壳纲Crustacea）研究迄今仍较为匮乏。本研究依托IceAGE（冰岛海洋动物：遗传学与生态学，Icelandic Marine Animals: Genetics and Ecology）项目的首次科考航次，对采集自冰岛海域的多管取样器（Multiple Core Sampler, MUC）与底栖生物拖网（epibenthic sledge, EBS）样品中的深海介形类组合群落进行了报道。本次研究对陆坡边缘与下半深海带作业区的样品展开了检视分析，结果显示：其一，由于MUC与EBS的网孔孔径差异显著，二者获取的介形类动物群特征截然不同；其二，陆坡边缘与下半深海带的介形类动物群亦存在显著分异。这种从陆架到半深海深度的显著动物群更替模式，与西北大西洋、格陵兰海以及北海相邻区域的深度断面研究中报道的动物群更替特征高度相似，但冰岛海域与上述相邻区域的介形类群落组成仍存在一定差异。此外，本研究首次采用高分辨率扫描电子显微镜与复合全焦立体显微成像技术，对多种冰岛海域深海介形类物种进行了形态可视化展示。上述研究结果为这片连接北大西洋主体与北欧海的关键海域的深海介形类研究以及生物地理学研究提供了重要的基础资料。