The ecological role and climate vulnerability of cold-water corals: patterns of phenology, habitat use, and species interactions
Supervisors:
Dr Laurence De Clippele, School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Prof Colin Torney, School of Mathematics & Statistics
Dr Johanne Vad, University of Edinburgh
Summary:
This project addresses a critical gap in our understanding of how fish and motile invertebrates use deep-sea habitats, particularly cold-water coral reefs and gardens. Unlike shallow coastal systems, little is known about how species in deeper environments (>100 m) utilise these structurally complex habitats across daily, seasonal, and inter-annual cycles. As biodiversity hotspots that support ecologically and commercially important species, their role in shaping behaviour, interactions, and movement remains poorly understood. Given their vulnerability to climate change and human pressures, uncovering how and when species depend on them is vital for predicting ecosystem resilience.
Using long-term, high-temporal-resolution time-lapse imagery from key North Atlantic sites (Norway, Iceland, and Canada), this research will quantify temporal and spatial patterns in the abundance, behaviour, and movement of fish and motile invertebrates. Species-level analyses will identify the drivers of phenological cycles, while community-level investigations will reveal interactions, synchrony, and predator–prey dynamics. Mapping microhabitat use within coral frameworks will further uncover how structural complexity shapes species’ movements and ecological roles.
By linking these patterns to environmental drivers, the project will provide critical insights into how climate change and human impacts could reshape phenology, habitat use, and resilience in deep-sea ecosystems. These insights are vital for protecting vulnerable habitats and for planetary health, as the resilience of deep-sea ecosystems underpins climate regulation and global biodiversity.