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<\/a><\/p>\nA female octopus (Haliphron atlanticus) consumes a jellyfish at 800 meters depth. Observing feeding interactions helps scientists understand how midwater communities function and offers insights into processes we all depend on, such as carbon cycling through the largest habitat on Earth
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An international team of midwater experts on board Schmidt Ocean Institute<\/a>\u2019s research vessel Falkor (too) discovered over two dozen new marine species on a recent expedition off the coast of Brazil in the tropical South Atlantic Ocean. The scientists used advanced technologies to explore the ocean\u2019s midwater\u2014the water between the sunlit layer and the seafloor\u2014which is Earth\u2019s largest and least explored habitable ecosystem. It can take scientists decades to identify and describe new species, but the combination of technology and expertise enabled the team to confirm these species as new within a matter of days.<\/p>\n The list consists of an amphipod, a gossamer worm, nine jellyfish, seven siphonophores, seven ctenophores (comb jellies), four larvaceans (tadpole-like creatures that live in mucus houses and are more closely related to humans than invertebrates), and two giant rhizarians (single-celled organisms visible to the naked eye). This is a new species from the genus Tomopteris, commonly known as gossamer worms. The expedition science team tested new technology that provides scientists with new, non-invasive ways to study these remarkable animals \u201cThe largest habitat on Earth, the midwater, is filled with incredible animals we are only just starting to understand,\u201d said the expedition\u2019s chief scientist, Dr. Karen Osborn of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History<\/a>. \u201cI continue to be fascinated by the fantastic variety of solutions they have evolved to survive in this formidable environment, and that drives me to keep asking questions about our ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n The team witnessed far more diversity and abundance of midwater organisms than they expected, said Osborn, including glass squid and a pelagic octopus feeding on a bright red jellyfish.<\/p>\n The ocean\u2019s midwater is one of the most challenging areas on Earth to explore because of its inaccessibility and immense volume. The Sasakawa Peace Foundation\u2019s Ocean Shot Research Grant Program funded two midwater programs that made this work possible, one based at the University of Western Australia<\/a> and the other at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences<\/a>, USA. Expedition Chief Scientist Dr. Karen Osborn (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History) works with Dr. Heather Judkins (University of South Florida, St. Petersburg) and Dr. Silvina Botta (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande) in the wet lab of R\/V Falkor (too), gathering tiny translucent animals from a large container for further study Principal Investigator Dr. John Burns (Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences) examines a sample, which will be used for his genetic sequencing work in the main lab of R\/V Falkor (too). In tandem with high-resolution imagery gathered at depth, the team sequenced genomes from collected specimens onboard the vessel, enabling them to rapidly identify new species The technologies used to identify new species were a combination of imaging systems and genetic analyses. The imaging systems included the DeepPIV (particle image velocimetry)<\/a> and EyeRIS (remote imaging system)<\/a> instruments, developed by the Bioinspiration Lab at MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute), which were attached to Schmidt Ocean Institute\u2019s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian. DeepPIV and EyeRIS are sophisticated, non-invasive tools for scanning marine animals; they use lasers to scan organisms and create 3D images of them. In addition, the team attached a shadowgraph camera from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) to the ROV, which can image the finer details of animals not visible in the 3D scans. The images help scientists describe the shape and internal structures of animals without having to collect them.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an incredible honor to not only view and experience this rare and inspiring midwater life, but also to be able to work towards describing and sharing that life broadly through the use of novel, non-invasive technologies,\u201d said Dr. Kakani Katija, principal engineer of the Bioinspiration Lab at MBARI<\/a>. This juvenile glass squid, collected by ROV SuBastian at 779 meters depth in the South Atlantic, was photographed on R\/V Falkor (too) using a prototype multiview macro camera system This image captured by a shadowgraph camera shows the front, side and top views of protective shield tissues from a siphonophore A microscopic view shows the complex, honeycomb-like structure of a hyperiid\u2019s eye, a tiny shrimp-like crustacean that lives in the deep ocean. Researchers used advanced 3D confocal live-imaging technology to capture individual cone cells that form the creature’s compound eyes A siphonophore is scanned using the Deep Particle Image Velocimetry (DeepPIV) at a depth of 350 meters. The imaging system was developed by the Bioinspiration Lab at MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) to create 3D models of gelatinous animals. This species was undescribed prior to this encounter and is likely new to science This is a phase-contrast image of a live phyllosoma, a larval stage of a spiny or slipper lobster (magnified 10x). The microscopic details of the animal\u2019s completely transparent digestive and nervous systems\u2014tightly sandwiched between its ultra-thin, transparent exoskeleton\u2014are visible in this image This jelly was collected at 1,157 meters depth by ROV SuBastian and photographed on board Falkor (too) using a prototype Multiview Macro Camera system Many midwater animals are gelatinous, with soft, delicate bodies that are often damaged by traditional sampling methods. To address this challenge, the expedition used additional technologies that allowed scientists to observe animals in a controlled environment that mimics their natural habitat. These included a virtual reality chamber developed at the University of Western Australia and a \u201cgravity machine\u201d developed at Stanford University\u2014a specialized microscope that functions as a hydrodynamic treadmill for studying microbes.<\/p>\n The team used another microscope developed at Stanford University to gain critical new insights into the physiology of midwater animals. The microscope, known as Squid, is an open-source, confocal microscope. Using Squid, the team achieved a first for research at sea and imaged living internal cellular structures in 3D. One of the organisms imaged was a large single-celled microbe called a protist. The microscope enabled the scientists to observe how the protist\u2019s cellular structure interacted with its glass skeleton.<\/p>\n \u201cThis opens a new door for researching deep-sea physiology, linking cellular architectures to organism function. We can now witness live internal processes within these extreme organisms adapted to withstand immense pressure and darkness,\u201d said Dr. Manu Prakash of Stanford University.\u00a0<\/p>\n In tandem with the high-resolution imagery, the team sequenced genomes from collected specimens onboard the vessel, enabling them to rapidly identify new species under the leadership of Dr. Cheryl Ames of Tohoku University and Dr. John Burns of Bigelow Laboratory.<\/p>\n \u201cThe novel suite of technologies on this cruise is a glimpse into the future of marine biological science,\u201d said Schmidt Ocean Institute\u2019s Executive Director, Dr. Jyotika Virmani. \u201cSchmidt Ocean Institute\u2019s mission is to push technological advancement and this was our third cruise in collaboration with this team of scientists and engineers to test and further develop this innovative midwater equipment. We look forward to a future in which scientists study marine life as elegantly as this team did\u2014and in virtual reality.\u201d The team collected footage of this siphonophore at 552 meters depth. The imaging systems tested on R\/V Falkor (too) allowed researchers to create millimeter-scale, 3D renderings of the creature in its natural habitat. Most species identifications take place ashore, using samples or small pieces, but these systems allow scientists to see and study the entire animal as it lives in the water. Based on images and measurements collected at sea, Dr. Dhugal Lindsay of JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) is confident that this animal belongs to an undescribed genus, perhaps even a new family of physonect siphonophores. Based on the detailed anatomical and genetic data collected in the water and on board, scientists will be able to compare this animal to those collected elsewhere around the globe and give this physonect a name
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