Scales and mechanisms of marine hotspot formation

Abstract

The term 'hotspot' is used with increased frequency in marine biology and conservation literature. The concept of a hotspot of biodiversity has a longer history in the terrestrial community, with These concepts translate well to more static marine habitats such as coral reefs and kelp forests, but are less easily applied to pelagic systems, where both boundaries and features are dynamic. Here, we build upon previous studies that have defined pelagic hotspots based on bathymetric variation This requires defining the concept of a marine hotspot, particularly when it consists of mobile features.