This book presents the biodiversity of the Brazilian deep-sea and its many unique geological and biological features, as well as a review of its ecology, conservation, and future research needs. The deep-sea Brazilian margin has an incredible geological heterogeneity with numerous characteristic seafloor features, and latitudinal changes in marine productivity, oceanographic conditions and biological communities have resulted in very distinct biological assemblages at regional and bathymetric scales. It is a tremendously rich ecosystem in terms of living species, from which many well-known historical tales have originated, and with unique importance for the global climate and humanity. Nevertheless, vast areas of the Brazilian margin have been explored for fishing, oil and gas, and other commodities, likely impacting a variety of deep-sea habitats at scales and intensities yet undetermined. This book is intended for students, scholars, professionals and a wide audience interested in the deep-sea in general and, more specifically, in the South Atlantic deep-sea.

An Introduction to the Brazilian Deep-Sea Biodiversity (Paulo Yukio Gomes Sumida, Fabio Cabrera De Leo, Angelo Fraga Bernardino)....Pages 1-5
Water Masses and Oceanic Circulation of the Brazilian Continental Margin and Adjacent Abyssal Plain (Ilson Carlos Almeida da Silveira, Dante Campagnoli Napolitano, Igor Uchôa Farias)....Pages 7-36
Continental Slope and Submarine Canyons: Benthic Biodiversity and Human Impacts (Fabio Cabrera De Leo, Angelo Fraga Bernardino, Paulo Yukio Gomes Sumida)....Pages 37-72
Brazilian Deep-Sea Corals (Marcelo Visentini Kitahara, Ralf Tarciso Silva Cordeiro, Romina Vanessa Barbosa, Débora de Oliveira Pires, Paulo Yukio Gomes Sumida)....Pages 73-107
Chemosynthetic Ecosystems on the Brazilian Deep-Sea Margin (Maurício Shimabukuro, Joan M. Alfaro-Lucas, Angelo F. Bernardino, Raissa B. Ramos, Michel M. de Mahiques, Paulo Yukio Gomes Sumida)....Pages 109-132
Deep-Sea Microbes in the Southwestern Atlantic (Camila Negrão Signori, André Oliveira de Souza Lima, Cristina Rossi Nakayama, Vivian Helena Pellizari)....Pages 133-151
The Scientific Explorations for Deep-Sea Fishes in Brazil: The Known Knowns, the Known Unknowns, and the Unknown Unknowns (Marcelo Roberto Souto de Melo, Rodrigo Antunes Caires, Tracey T. Sutton)....Pages 153-216
Living and Non-living Resources in Brazilian Deep Waters (José Angel A. Perez, José Gustavo Natorf Abreu, André Oliveira de Souza Lima, Marcus Adonai Castro da Silva, Luis Henrique Polido de Souza, Angelo Fraga Bernardino)....Pages 217-253
Back Matter ....Pages 255-261)