Holothuroidea (Echinodermata) of the Peru basin - Ecological and taxonomicremarks based on underwater images

The megabenthos plays an important role in the abyssal ecosystem. The holot huroids have been proposed as indicators of physical disturbance of the sea bed caused, for example, by commercial deep-sea mining of manganese nodules . Environmental studies at seabed mining claims have resulted in numerous s till photographs that provide an overview of the megabenthos in manganese n odule fields. Data from these investigations and from the large-scale distu rbance and recolonization experiment DISCOL have been used to summarize kno wledge of the taxonomy and ecology of holothurians at manganese nodule site s.