An oceanic research expedition has uncovered 31 new species from a vast, dimly lit region located between the sunlit ocean surface and the deep sea. This international team of scientists, aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Falkor (too) research vessel, also reached a significant milestone by capturing the living cellular structure of a microbe in 3D.
The researchers deployed a range of advanced imaging technologies and genome sequencing methods to identify and describe the new species found in the tropical midwaters of the South Atlantic Ocean, near Brazil. “The largest habitat on Earth, the midwater, is filled with incredible animals we are only just starting to understand,” says Karen Osborn, a research zoologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the chief scientist of the expedition.
This obscure habitat is alluring due to its vastness and inaccessibility, as well as the unusual nature of its inhabitants. The newly discovered marine creatures include mesmerizingly beautiful entities like ghostly gossamer worms (Tomopteris) and comb jellies, which move with glittering, finger-like appendages.
Scientists also identified giant rhizarians, remarkable for being visible to the naked eye despite being single-celled organisms.
“I 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,” Osborn says.
An example of intriguing midwater life includes tadpole-like larvaceans that construct balloon-like ‘houses’ from mucus to trap passing food particles. Equally fascinating are siphonophores, which consist of specialized clones, or zooids, working in unison as a single colonial organism.
The expedition highlighted the effectiveness of innovative technologies, allowing scientists to confirm many previously unknown species in a matter of days instead of years or decades. As seen with the unjustly ‘uglified’ blobfish, deep-sea creatures are soft and gelatinous to endure extreme pressures, making them easily deformed by traditional sampling methods.
Understanding Earth’s largest living space has been challenging due to the delicate nature of its creatures. To study these midwater species without harming them, researchers used three sophisticated imaging systems attached to the remotely operated vehicle (ROV), SuBastian.
They employed the DeepPIV (particle image velocimetry) and EyeRIS (remote imaging system), developed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), to create 3D images by scanning the creatures non-invasively with lasers.
The team also utilized a shadowgraph camera, developed by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, to capture high-contrast silhouettes and reveal finer details not visible through laser scanning. Their study of animal physiology and behavior involved three non-destructive methods.
In a pioneering marine achievement, the Squid microscope from Stanford University was used to examine living cellular structures and the glass skeleton of a single-celled microbe known as a protist.
The team further explored animal behaviors using a virtual reality application developed at the University of Western Australia and a hydrodynamic ‘treadmill’ from Stanford, designed to simulate an endless water column for observing microbial behavior without experimental interference.
“It’s 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,” says Kakani Katija, a bioengineer at MBARI.
This integration of techniques and technology signifies a promising future for marine science, where researchers can collaborate across institutions to study animals in their natural habitats without causing harm.
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“Schmidt Ocean Institute’s 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,” concludes physical oceanographer Jyotika Virmani, the institute’s Executive Director. “We look forward to a future in which scientists study marine life as elegantly as this team did – and in virtual reality.”
