Marine invertebrates

Abstract

The present subchapter focuses on benthic shrimps, worms, gastropods, bivalves and other invertebrates living on or in the sea floor that are important food sources for fishes, marine mammals, seabirds and humans, as well as invertebrate species that are targeted by some commercial fisheries. Those taxa form the basis for some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet (e.g., estuaries and coral reefs), rivalling tropical forests (Valiela, 1995) and creating habitats covering more of the Earth’s surface than all other habitats combined (Snelgrove and others, 1997). Changes in ocean use, the harvesting of organisms, climate change, pollution and invasive species contribute to global alterations in nature at rates unprecedented in human history. Historically, coastal biota have experienced greater pressures and impacts than the deep sea, but the depletion of coastal marine resources and new technologies create both the capacity and incentive to fish, mine and drill in some of the deepest parts of the ocean (McCauley and others, 2015). Alterations of biodiversity often erode economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), 2019).