Tuesday, April 17, 2012

2012 Dr. Sylvia Earle in the News!

OCEANS: Sylvia Earle's Journey:





In 1979, Sylvia Earle walked untethered on the sea floor at a lower depth than any living human being before or since. In the so-called Jim suit, a pressurized one-atmosphere garment, she was carried by a submersible down to the depth of 1,250 feet below the ocean's surface off of the island of Oahu. At the bottom, she detached from the vessel and explored the depths for two and a half hours with only a communication line connecting her to the submersible, and nothing at all connecting her to the world above. She described this adventure in her 1980 book: Exploring the Deep Frontier.



On Friday's show, comedian Ellen Degeneres tackled the not-so-funny situation that industrialized fishing has created in the ocean. Speaking with Captain Dave Anderson, who recently helped to free a gray whale entangled in fishing nets off Dana Point, California, Ellen spoke directly about drift nets, by-catch, and how she chose to give up eating fish once she realized what it took to get fish onto her plate. Pointing out to her fans that an ocean with no fish in 50 years is not the future we want, she challenged them to take action to change the dangerous course we are on while there is still time.



Dr. Earle and others Weigh In to Urge Interior Secretary To Remove California Oyster Farm



To The Arctic: Trailer: 3D



One World One Ocean:






James Cameron's Deep Challenger Dive: April 2012:

NPR On Point Discussion with Dr. Sylvia Earle

Cobia March 8,2012: Onward and Downward:




Cobia March 7, 2012:





Cobia March 6, 2012:



Save The Ross Sea
Antarctic Ocean Alliance:



Google Earth
Surround Liquid Earth Galaxy Display
Catlin Seaview Survey:



Third Anniversary
Google Earth Update:



Explore Biodiversity on Google Earth:



Gardens of The Queen
CBS News' 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper and The 'Ocean Doctor':

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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Challenger Deep





James Cameron has set the World Record for the deepest solo dive by reaching the bottom of the Mariana Trench. He is the first to ever reach the bottom alone. (The first people to reach the bottom did so in a two man sub)


The spherical chamber is attached to the bottom of the foam beam by polyester straps

Engineers made the pilot’s chamber spherical because the shape can be both strong and light. They also made the steel 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters) thick to withstand the crushing pressure of the deep. If they had made the chamber a cylinder, by comparison, the hull would have needed to have been three times as thick to stand up to the pressure.
James Cameron gives two thumbs up as he sits inside the crammed sphere of the submarine.
The Deepsea Challenger is shown above hitting the bottom of the ocean.


Further Information
Sources:
http://deepseachallenge.com/
http://youtu.be/Y2tm40uMhDI
http://youtu.be/A10qL6eZI2E
http://www.foxnews.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com
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Symbiotic Relationships in the Deep Sea


SYMBIOSIS : the living together in more or less intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms.

Three Different Types of Symbiosis
  1. Mutualism is when both the symbiont and the host benefit.
  2. Commensalism is when the symbiont benefits with little effect on the host.
  3. Parasitism is when the symbiont benefits to the detriment of the host.

    ANGLERFISH

               Female Angler Fish have a small dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouths. It is tipped with a lure of luminous flesh that baits in prey. The male does not need this adaptation because it becomes a permanent parasitic mate of the female. When a male Angler Fish encounters a female, he latches onto her body with his teeth and fuses with her over time, connection to her skin and bloodstream. In exchange, the female is provided with a very reliable sperm source, avoiding the problem of having to search for a new mate upon every new breeding cycle.


    Quick Facts

    • Found in the Abyssopelagic Zone.
    • Also in a symbiotic relationship with bioluminescent bacteria which produce the alluring bright, rod to attract prey.
    • A female can carry six or more males on her body at a time!
    • Can swallow prey two times its size.
    • Female anglerfish can be up to 10 times larger than male anglerfish. 

      More on the Deep Sea Anglerfish

     
                        Anglerfish Mating Customs



     OSEDAX WORMS
              These worms, known as “bone-devouring” worms, are able to live in the deep sea because they live off other organisms, such as whale carcasses. They have no mouths, no guts, no appendages, but they attach themselves to the bone and grow roots that extract organic compounds, such as fats and collagen.


      











          Additional Facts
    • Live in The Bathypelagic Zone, “The Midnight Zone”.
    • Feed on the corpses of large animals that rarely sink to the bottom, yet these infrequent carcasses provide immense  feasts for these worms.
    • The image to the above shows a fragment of gray whale bone being devoured; Monterey Bay.



         The image to the left shows a 3D CT scan of a bone-eating 'zombie' worm from the genus Osedax, revealing the root-like canals it makes into the bone.


    &

     

     Underwater Footage of Osedax Worms Picking at Carcasses




     BOBTAIL SQUID

               These squid let only one particular bacteria to colonize it, vibrio fischeri, while excluding all other types. The squid benefits from the relationship by reflecting the luminescence of the bacteria, and the bacteria benefits by living in a nutrient-rich and competition-free environment.
     
       Additional Facts
    • Have a light organ that detects how much light is needed, and then dims or brightens the light produced by the bioluminescent bacteria by controlling the amount of oxygen that enters into the organ.
    • These glowing bacteria manufacture an enzyme called luciferase, which facilitates a biochemical reaction that produces light.






    Coexistence between Bobtail Squid and Bacteria     
      Squid & Bioluminescence


    Sources

    Hanna Zayas
    Amy Chappel



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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Cnidaria: Siphonophores (Jane and Allie)

There are approximately 10,000 species in the phylum cnidarian. They have special stinging cells called cnidocysts and a tissue that covers their outer body, which is connected to a gel-like substance called the mesoglea. Cnidarians use a nerve net and basic receptors to move and take oxygen from the water.

Marrus orthocanna




Many cnidaria live in colonies and appear as one organism; specifically: siphonophores, which resemble jellyfish. The most famous organism is the Portuguese Man o’ War, measuring 40-50 meters. 


Portuguese man o war




Siphonophores are made up of zooids that each have a specialized function and lack the ability to survive on their own. They are arranged like a locomotive, usually with propulsion at one end, and feeding, protective, and reproductive units trailing behind.


Mertensia ovum




Cnidarians use their cnidocysts around their mouth to immobilize their prey. Cnidarians eat organisms raging from the size of plankton to turtles, but obtain much of their nutrition from endosymbiotic algae and parasites. Each “feeding compartment” has its own tentacle and can catch and process food individually.


Apolemia




Most siphonophores are bioluminescent and can produce dramatic light shows when disturbed. Some, including many newly discovered deep-sea species, are fluorescent, iridescent, and capable of lightening to a milky white color. 


Video clipped from National Geographic's Worlds Deadliest Animals Costa Rica, during a segment about the siphonophore, Portuguese Man O' War.




In the past the only method of collecting siphonophores was trawling with large nets, which would break apart the delicate animal. Now our diving protocols, sampling, and diving technology has advanced, allowing us to enter their environment, identify the animals we want, and gently take them from the water without harming them. 




Dr. Phil Pugh describes what it’s like to come across a siphonophore in the deep sea with a submarine.


To see our sources and for more information on cnidaria and siphonophores, click on a link:

marinebio.org
siphonophores.org
mbari.org
press.uchicago.edu
en.wikipedia.org

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Bioluminescence in Jellyfish


According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "bioluminescence is the production of light by a living organism." Chemical reactions occurring inside the organisms release the energy which, in turn, produce the light. Usually bioluminescence is used to warn or evade predators, attract or detect prey, and communicate between members of the same species.
Periphylla jellyfish is thought to be one of the most common jellyfish in the deep ocean. "If you just kind of bump it, it can release bioluminescent particles from flaps on the bottom of its body, so it can use the luminescence as a distraction," Edith Widder said. "But if you keep hassling it, then it produces a spectacular display of waves and waves of light along its bell." Scientist think that the Periphylla jellyfish may do this so that if it is betting bothered, the light created will attract other animals, one of which could be a predator of what is bothering the jellyfish.
 
Few terraneous species bioluminesce, however; nearly two thirds of all deep-sea species, ranging from bacteria to fish, produce light. Bioluminescence is created by a chemical reaction in which energy is covered into light. The light is generally blue or green because the wavelengths of these colors travel easily through water.
Periphylla periphylla jellyfish is thought to be one of the most common jellyfish in the deep ocean. "If you just kind of bump it, it can release bioluminescent particles from flaps on the bottom of its body, so it can use the luminescence as a distraction," Edith Widder said. "But if you keep hassling it, then it produces a spectacular display of waves and waves of light along its bell." Scientist think it may do this so that if it is betting bothered the light will attract other animals one of which could be predators of what is bothering the jellyfish.
The word “bioluminescence” describes a chemical reaction in which an enzyme called luciferase stimulates a molecular reaction called luciferins and oxygen. This reaction results in the emission of light as well as a luminescent product called oxyluciferin. As mentioned, Marine bioluminescence is most commonly blue or green (such as the one above); however, a few predators can both transmit and see red light. This ability provides them with an advantage for detecting prey. More information of the chemical reaction of bioluminescence.
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the bloodybelly comb jelly (in the video above) sparkles because light is diffracted from tiny transparent cilia that continuously pulse as a form of propulsion. This jellyfish is almost invisible because in the deep sea, animals that are red actually appear black. 
For more information on Bioluminescence see:
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