Linking marine benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functions related to carbon cycling in a continental mud depocenter

Tung, Chueh-Chen; Holtappels, Moritz; Wrede, Alexa; Köster, Male; Sander, Lasse; Beermann, Jan; Sidorenko, Vera; Gutow, Lars

doi:10.5194/bg-23-7129-2026

Articles | Volume 23, issue 19

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7129-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7129-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 23, issue 19

Research article

|

12 Oct 2026

Research article |

| 12 Oct 2026

Linking marine benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functions related to carbon cycling in a continental mud depocenter

Chueh-Chen Tung, Moritz Holtappels, Alexa Wrede, Male Köster, Lasse Sander, Jan Beermann, Vera Sidorenko, and Lars Gutow

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7129-2026-supplement

Data sets

Sediment characteristics in the muddy region in southeast of the island of Helgoland (North Sea) Chueh-Chen Tung et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.993036

Benthic macrofauna abundance and biomass in the muddy region in southeast of the island of Helgoland (North Sea) Chueh-Chen Tung et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.993038

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Short summary

Using 171 taxa from 50 stations in the southeastern North Sea, we show that environmental gradients structure benthic macrofaunal communities and their traits. Deeper communities had higher bioturbation and bioirrigation, whereas shallow communities showed greater respiration and secondary production. Environmental gradients also shifted biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships, highlighting macrofaunal control of carbon sequestration–related processes in shelf sea sediments.