Holothurians as indicators for recolonisation processes in environmental assessments

Future human activities; In the deep-sea will have diverse impacts on the abyssal seafloor. Mapping the affected areas with deep-tow systems provides a clear view of the extents and intensities of impacts and is an excellent method for monitoring the megabenthos, one of the important components of the abyssal community. The German DISCOL and ECOBENT studies demonstrated the suitability of the megafauna as indicator organisms for detecting environmental changes. Megafauna can, for example, be used to identify impacts of deep seabed mining activities New data on the taxon Holothuroidea provides additional insight into the recolonisation process taking place during the experiment.