Rachel Boschen-Rose

Marine Scotland Science | MSS · Marine Lab

The Benthos Ecology Working Group (BEWG) aims to study, describe and update on all aspects relevant to the ecology, functioning and interactions of marine benthic organisms across the Northeastern Atlantic, either living in or within the sediment, either animals or plants, either macro, meio or epibenthic, either littoral and sublittoral up to the...

Imaging is increasingly used to capture information on the marine environment thanks to the improvements in imaging equipment, devices for carrying cameras and data storage in recent years. In that context, biologists, geologists, computer specialists and end-users must gather to discuss the methods and procedures for optimising the quality and qua...

Xyloplax is a genus of three species of sea stars previously found only on sunken wood in the deep ocean. Their circular and petaloid bodies, which lend them their common name “sea daisy”, and their presumed exclusive diet of wood make them an unusual and rare element of deep-sea ecosystems. We describe here the fourth species of Xyloplax from the...

Deep-sea mining may be just a few years away and yet society is struggling to assess the positive aspects, such as increasing the supply of metals for battery production to fuel the green revolution, versus the potentially large environmental impacts. Mining of polymetallic (manganese) nodules from the deep ocean is likely to be the first mineral r...

Conducting comprehensive environmental baseline studies is a prerequisite for determining effective environmental management strategies for deep-sea mining. Studies conducted along the Kermadec Volcanic Arc have described biological assemblage structure at multiple spatial scales, connectivity of assemblages at different sites, and functional sensi...

Assessment of ecosystem health entails consideration of species interactions within and between size classes to determine their contributions to ecosystem function. Elucidating microbial involvement in these interactions requires tools to distil diverse microbial information down to relevant, manageable elements. We used covariance ratios (proporti...

The deep sea is subject to multiple anthropogenic disturbances, to which may soon be added mining of hydrothermally-formed seafloor massive sulfides (SMS). As a first step towards a full Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) for SMS mining, ecological sensitivity to mining activities was assessed based on the functional traits of benthic megafaunal taxa...

Highly specialised biota occurring at hydrothermally active vents on the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (nMAR: from south of Iceland to the Equator) have been the subject of numerous research projects over the 36-year period since these habitats were first discovered in the region. When hydrothermal activity ceases, biota endemic to hydrothermally act...

Polymetallic sulfide (PMS) deposits produced at hydrothermal vents in the deep sea are of potential interest to miners. Hydrothermally active sulfide ecosystems are valued for the extraordinary chemosynthetic communities that they support. Many countries, including Canada, Portugal, and the United States, protect vent ecosystems in their Exclusive...

Boschen-Rose, R.E.; Ferreira, M.A.; Johnson, D.E., and Gianni, M., 2020. Engaging with industry to spur Blue Growth. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 835 – 839. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Improving marine resource management and governance requ...

br/>Motivation Traits are increasingly being used to quantify global biodiversity patterns, with trait databases growing in size and number, across diverse taxa. Despite growing interest in a trait‐based approach to the biodiversity of the deep sea, where the impacts of human activities (including seabed mining) accelerate, there is no single repo...

https://web.whoi.edu/cbe6/wp-content/uploads/sites/84/2017/08/46Chapman.pdf

The proposed Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary covers 15% of New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and is both topographically rich, including the world’s longest undersea volcanic arc and one of the deepest trenches, and a high proportion of endemic species. The Kermadec region hosts deep-sea fauna that are considered indicators of vulnerable marine...

Seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) mining will likely occur at hydrothermal systems in the near future. Alongside their mineral wealth, SMS deposits also have considerable biological value. Active SMS deposits host endemic hydrothermal vent communities, whilst inactive deposits support communities of deep water corals and other suspension feeders. Mini...

Mining of seafloor massive sulfides (SMS) is imminent, but the ecology of assemblages at SMS deposits is poorly known. Proposed conservation strategies include protected areas to preserve biodiversity at risk from mining impacts. Determining site suitability requires biological characterisation of the mine site and protected area(s). Video survey o...

Genetic connectivity studies can inform the design of mitigation strategies used in environmental management. However, the expense of developing species-specific molecular markers and collecting samples at appropriate spatial and temporal scales can be prohibitive. Using archived material and existing molecular markers may provide a cost-effective...

Seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits form in a suite of hydrothermal settings across a range of depths. Many deposits are of a tonnage and mineral grade comparable to land deposits and are attractive to mining companies. Economically viable deposits can be either active or inactive, with different biological communities present at each. These be...

a b s t r a c t Mining seafloor massive sulfides for metals is an emergent industry faced with environmental manage-ment challenges. These revolve largely around limits to our current understanding of biological variability in marine systems, a challenge common to all marine environmental management. VentBase was established as a forum where academ...

a b s t r a c t Mining seafloor massive sulfides for metals is an emergent industry faced with environmental manage-ment challenges. These revolve largely around limits to our current understanding of biological variability in marine systems, a challenge common to all marine environmental management. VentBase was established as a forum where academ...

Mining seafloor massive sulfides for metals is an emergent industry faced with environmental management challenges. These revolve largely around limits to our current understanding of biological variability in marine systems, a challenge common to all marine environmental management. VentBase was established as a forum where academic, commercial, g...

Mining seafloor massive sulfides for metals is an emergent industry faced with environmental management challenges. These revolve largely around limits to our current understanding of biological variability in marine systems, a challenge common to all marine environmental management. VentBase was established as a forum where academic, commercial, g...