Table S1 Environmental variables and metrics considered during the ecological mapping process (sorted according to organization and source)
Variable
(unit or number
of classes)
Sediment
(6 classes)
Metric
abbreviation
Metric description
Organization
Source
Product
Sed_6_classes
Canadian
Hydrographic Service
Raw data: (Loring & Nota, 1973)
ARCGIS®
Chlorophyll a
concentration
(mg.m-3)
Chl_mn
Surface sediment at the sampling site
based on the dominant material in Loring
and Nota (1973) classification,
aggregated and recoded in six classes by
the authors.
The mean of chlorophyll a concentration
is calculated from semi-monthly
composite images on a six months
period, from March to August, for each
year. The metric used is the mean of
these values for the years 2007-2009.
Fisheries and Oceans
Canada - Bedford
Institute of
Oceanography (BIO)
ARCGIS® Grid
(1.5 km
resolution)
Geomorphology
(3 classes)
Geomorph_1
Fisheries and Oceans
Canada
Geomorphology_
Rugosity
(3 classes)
Geomorph_2
As above
As above
As above
Dominant relief
(9 classes)
Relief_dom
As above
As above
As above
Relief variability
(9 classes)
Bottom oxygen
saturation
Relief_var
Class with greatest area within the cell;
three classes are defined according to
depth and slope of each pixel
(Plateau:depth<200m and slope<0.8°;
Slope: slope >0.8°, Channel:depth>200m
and slope<0.8°).
Class with greatest area within the cell
(i.e., representing more than 34% of the
cell surface area); three classes are
defined (1=Uniform, 2=Hump, 3=Pit)
using a normalised bathymetric index
analysing depth and slope in a 2.5 km
radius.
Numeric code for the variable
(Geomorph_1 X Geomorph_2) with
greatest area of the cell.
Number of reliefs represented in the cell.
Raw data: Moderate Resolution
Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on the Aqua spacecraft
provided by NASA
Data treatment: Composite images
prepared by BIO’s Remote Sensing
Unit
Raw data: bathymetry provided by
the Canadian Hydrographic Service
Data treatment: (Dutil et al., 2011)
As above
As above
As above
Mean oxygen saturation based on
cokriging interpolation (depth as
As above
Raw data from various surveys
conducted between 1981 and 2007
As above
O2_mn_Stats
Shapefile
(scale:
1:1000000)
ArcGIS®
Shapefile (10km
resolution)
(%)
Bottom
temperature
(°C)
Bottom salinity
S_mn_Stats
S_min_Stats
S_max_Stats
Sediment
(69 classes)
Sed_69_classes
Bottom dissolved
oxygen
(10−3 mol.m-3)
Depth
(m)
O2_Survey
covariable).
Three metrics corresponding to the
depth class of the cell:
- mean annual temperature
- monthly minimal temperature
- monthly maximal temperature.
Three metrics corresponding to the
depth class of the cell:
- mean annual salinity
- monthly minimal salinity
- monthly maximal salinity.
Surface sediment based on the dominant
material in Loring and Nota (1973)
classification, recoded in 69 classes.
Value at the site at the date of sampling.
Depth
Depth at sampling site.
T_mn_Stats
T_min_Stats
T_max_Stats
As above
As above
As above
As above
In situ
measurement
Annual trawl survey
In situ
measurement
The GEBCO_08 grid
ArcGIS® Grid
(1km resolution)
The GEBCO_08 grid
ArcGIS® Grid
(1km resolution)
(Fulton, 1995)
ArcGIS®
Shapefile
(scale:
1:5000000)
3D physical model of the Gulf of St
Lawrence (Saucier et al., 2003).
Data treatment:
S. Senneville and Simon St-Onge
Drouin, ISMER
ArcGIS®
Shapefile
(5km resolution)
As above
As above
Slope
Sediment
(7 classes)
Sed_Fulton
Surface sediment at the sampling site
based on the class in Fulton (1995).
Bottom current
velocity
(m.s-1)
V_mn_M
V_min_M
V_max_M
V_SD_M
V_n90_M
Bottom
temperature
T_mn_M
T_min_M
For each year, five metrics of the variable
are calculated: mean, minimum,
maximum, standard deviation and
percentile 90 (i.e., value that has 90% of
the observations below it). The 20072009 mean is calculated for each metric.
As above
Institut des Sciences
de la Mer (ISMER) Oceanic System
Simulation and
Analysis Laboratory
(LASSO)
As above
tool from ArcGIS®.
As above
Annual trawl survey
Slope
(%)
Value calculated with the ʽ3D analystʼ
As above
Fisheries and Oceans
Canada
Fisheries and Oceans
Canada
General Bathymetric
Chart of the Oceans
(GEBCO)
General Bathymetric
Chart of the Oceans
(GEBCO)
Geological Survey of
Canada
Depth (continuous layer).
Data treatment: (Dutil et al., 2011)
Raw data: statistics from (Petrie et
al., 1996) computed from an
oceanographic database with
observations beginning in 1910
Data treatment: (Dutil et al., 2011)
Raw data: statistics from (Petrie et
al., 1996) computed from an
oceanographic database with
observations beginning in 1910
Data treatment: (Dutil et al., 2011)
Raw data: (Loring & Nota, 1973)
Recoding: (Dutil et al., 2011)
(°C)
Bottom salinity
T_max_M
T_SD_M
T_n90_M
S_mn_M
S_min_M
S_max_M
S_SD_M
S_n90_M
As above
As above
As above
As above
Figure S1 Ecological maps established from nine-leaf MRTs based on different biological datasets. Distinct habitats are identified by different colors. Areas not classified by
the model appear in white. Map (a) Echinodermata is used for comparison across taxonomic groups. Maps (b) and (c) are used for comparison across taxonomic levels and
are based on the ʽVertebrataʼ dataset reduced to taxa identified at the species level. Map (b) is based on records at the taxonomic level of genus whereas map (c) is based
on records at the taxonomic level of order.
Figure S2 Joint maps showing common ecological units for the comparison of three pairs of ecological maps. Distinct common habitats are identified by different colors.
Areas not classified or showing classification disagreement appear in white. For comparison across taxonomic groups, ʽVertebrataʼ ecological map is compared to (a)
ʽArthropodaʼ ecological map. For comparison across taxonomic levels, the ecological map based on the Vertebrata’ dataset at the species level is compared to the map
created from the same dataset aggregated at (b) genus and (c) order levels.
References
Dutil, J.-D., Proulx, S., Chouinard, P.-M. & Borcard, D. (2011) A Hierarchical Classification of the Seabed Based on Physiographic and Oceanographic Features in the St.
Lawrence. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2916.
Fulton, R.J., compiler, 1995. Surficial materials of Canada. Geological Survey of Canada, map 1880A, scale 1:5000000.
Loring, D.H., Nota, D.J.G.,1973. Morphology and sediment of the Gulf of St.Lawrence. Bulletin Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 182.
Saucier, F.J., Roy, F., Gilbert, D., Pellerin, P. & Ritchie, H. (2003) Modeling the formation and circulation processes of water masses and sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
Canada. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 108, 1-20.