The ecology of the deep-ocean seabed including local, regional and global biodiversity, long-term change in deep-sea communities, echinoderm taxonomy, continental slope megafauna, bentho-pelagic coupling, seasonality in the deep-sea, abundance and biomass of deep-sea megabenthos, geographic and bathymetric zonation of deep-sea fauna, abyssal plains, continental slopes, canyons, seamounts, cold-water corals, non-hydrothermal vent mid-ocean ridge benthic invertebrates, life-history strategies, deep-sea in situ experimentation, natural biotechnological and biomedicine products, the application of deep-sea science to industry and international policy needs (International Seabed Authority).