Die Hypothesen

Hypothesis 1

The hadal of the eastern Aleutian Trench is characterized by a similarly high number of species as the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. H1 is tested by systematic studies (using morphological and molecular genetic methods) and zoogeographical comparisons.

Hypothesis 2

The hadal depths of the eastern Aleutian Trench and eastern KKT isolate sediment-dwelling and brood-maintaining benthic species from the Bering Sea, but not species with larval development that can be readily dispersed via ocean currents. H2 will be tested using systematic and zoogeographic analyses, including molecular techniques. (For example, within Isopoda, species of Munnopsidae can swim; species of Macrostylidae cannot. Within the Munnopsidae, one would expect greater genetic divergence and exchange into the Bering Sea within species or populations that occur in both the KKT and Aleutian Trench than within the Macrostylidae.)

Hypothesis 3

The Kamchatka Strait acts as a filter for migration of species from the eastern Aleutian Trench into the Bering Sea, while serving as a corridor for species from the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea into the KKT and AT and open Northwest Pacific. H3 will also be tested using systematics, zoogeography, and genetics using existing material from previous expeditions, as well as species distribution modeling.n