Appendix 1: Biogeographic Provinces
A number of schemes for distinctive biogeographic provinces have been proposed for the deep-sea, falling mainly
into two categories: those based on environmental data, and those based on faunal similarities.
Soft-bottom benthos: Proposed schemes recognize coarse divisions separating the Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, Antarctic,
and Arctic, based either on faunal similarities (Carney 1994; Vinogradova 1979; Vinogradova 1997), or temperature
and topography (McClain et al. 2009a; Menzies et al. 1973). The Vinogradova schemes group the Arctic and
Atlantic regions together, whereas Menzies et al. (1973) questions the Arctic/Atlantic grouping and further splits the
Indian and Pacific Oceans. Both schemes recognize several nested subregions and provinces within the major
oceans. The Vinogradova scheme roughly divides the Atlantic and Pacific into east, west, south, and north
provinces. Menzies proposes more elaborate boundaries, and a greater number of subregions that reflect the
complexity of temperature distribution and bottom currents along the seafloor.
Hydrothermal vents and seeps: Hydrothermal vent schemes are primarily driven by faunal similarities, rather than
environmental parameters. The Van Dover scheme includes 10 provinces divided according to basins, ridges, and
major discontinuities in ridge systems (Gooday 2002; Smith et al. 2008; Van Dover 1995; Van Dover 2000; Van
Dover et al. 2002; Van Dover et al. 2001). A new analysis based on advances in classification trees and a more
comprehensive dataset, largely support this scheme (Bachraty et al. 2009). Biogeographic provinces have not been
explicitly described for seeps, but may be described in relation to differences in methane seepage rates. Specifically,
cold seeps of the east Pacific coast lack methanotrophic species and vestimentiferan annelids, whereas
vestimentiferans are found at western Pacific seeps. In the Gulf of Mexico and along the Florida Escarpment,
vestimentiferans are also present, along with methanotrophic mytilid mussels (Barry et al. 1996; Sibuet & Olu
1998).
Global Open Oceans and Deep Seabed (GOODS) Biogeographic Classification (see Figure): The GOODS
scheme represents the most current and sophisticated proposed scheme, using a suite of environmental parameters
including temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, carbon flux, primary production, bathymetry, and plate boundary
layers to delineate biogeographic provinces (Vierros et al. 2009). Previous schemes concentrated on abyssal depths,
but GOODS creates unique depth-delimited provinces that account for bathymetric trends in other variables. In the
bathyal regions of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, provinces are further defined by latitudinal boundaries, whereas
the Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic Ocean are each largely seen as homogenous. Provinces differ somewhat for
abyssal depths, with fewer provinces delineated in the Pacific and Atlantic reflecting a more homogeneous
environment at abyssal depths. Clearly the GOODS scheme requires testing with faunal distributions, as indicated
by the authors. For example, GOODS suggests the abyssal North Atlantic is one homogeneous province, but
patterns in bivalve distributions indicate distinctive eastern and western North Atlantic assemblages (McClain et al.
2009b), and cumacean fauna are distinct between basins (Watling 2009).
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