Selected fauna of Bear Seamount (New England Seamount chain), and the presence of "natural invader" species

Bear Seamount (39degrees 55' N; 67degrees 30'W) is an extinct undersea volcano rising up from the continental slope of Georges Bank. This seamount is the westernmost peak in the New England Seamount (NES) chain. The fauna associated with this seamount was little known until twenty trawl stations were made in late 2000 by the NOAA RV "Delaware II". That cruise resulted in a faunal list of almost 300 species of invertebrates and fishes. A follow-up cruise in July 2002 has added to our knowledge of overall species diversity Although some of the captured species are still being identified, we present preliminary identifications and results from that latest cruise. One interesting result from the faunal studies, so far, is the recognition that a small percentage of the fauna is composed of "natural invader" species. Several of these species are usually found ill the eastern Atlantic, and are either rare or previously unknown from the western Atlantic. In addition, a few other eastern Atlantic species are also found on the slope of Georges Bank in close proximity to Bear Seamount. These species appear to represent a natural biogeographic process. How these species arrived at or in the vicinity of Bear Seamount is unknown at this time, however, it is possible that the NES chain is acting as a dispersal corridor or "stepping stones" as envisioned by Hubbs in 1959.