A-18. 



this peak may be artificially inflated and not indicative of 

 the true density at that depth. The coverage is not complete 

 enough to determine if this is the case. The slope fauna is 

 dominated by fish which are mostly predators and scavengers, 

 while below 1600 meters most of the animals are smaller 

 deposit feeders. 



This pattern is somewhat less apparent in canyons. 

 Faunal densities we're calculated separately for slope and 

 canyon habitats and the results are shown in Figure B2 . 

 Faunal densities within canyons are consistently higher than 

 densities at corresponding depths on the slope. In fact, 

 they do not show the marked decrease in faunal density be- 

 tween the depth of 600 and 1600 meters. However, they do 

 show the peak below 1600 meters which decreases at depths 

 greater than 2300 meters. The higher faunal density in the 

 middle depth range may be explained by the more varied 

 habitats found within canyons when compared to the slope. 

 The canyons offer a variety of substrates and are thought to 

 be conduits for nutrients, they would thus be able to support 

 a greater variety and abundance of organisms. 



Faunal Components 



The major faunal components seen during the survey were 

 fish, crustaceans, echinoderms and corals. Distinct varia- 

 tions in the relative abundance of these components were 

 noted and several patterns are discernible. Figure Cl is a 



