#larvacean

Spent today organising my screenshots from last years ROV dives. Mostly from Schmidt Ocean Institute and E/V Nautilus but also a few from MBARI, WHOI and NOAA. 

I’m part of a Discord that discusses the dives as they’re happening, sharing screenshots and IDs of organisms and just generally being excited about the deep sea. We started as a small group of enthusiasts but now have a lot of the scientists from the various research institutes joining in and helping with IDs. 

It’s a super great group, so if you’d like to join us:  

GIANT LARVACEANS ARE TRANSPORTING MICROPLASTIC INTO THE DEEP SEA

Larvaceans are abundant components of global zooplankton assemblages, regularly build mucus “houses” to filter particulate matter from the surrounding water, and later abandon these structures when clogged. According to US researchers at Monterey Bay Aquarium, giant larvaceans (Bathochordaeus stygius) are able to filter a range of microplastic particles from the water column, ingest, and then package microplastics into their fecal pellets. The study is recently published in Science Advances.

-  During feeding experiments, microplastics were observed inside and attached to the inner house and inside the gut of giant larvaceans. Microplastic are represented by different colors, these plastic particles are smaller than a millimeter.

Microplastics also readily affix to their houses, which have been shown to sink quickly to the seafloor and deliver pulses of carbon to benthic ecosystems. According to Kakani Katija who leads the study, giant larvaceans can contribute to the vertical flux of microplastics through the rapid sinking of fecal pellets and discarded houses. Larvaceans, and potentially other abundant pelagic filter feeders, may thus comprise a novel biological transport mechanism delivering microplastics from surface waters, through the water column, and to the seafloor. 

GIF: Monterey Bay Aquarium

Some critters from nightlighting on San Juan Island January 16th, 2024

Obsessed with these little creatures that make these beautifully complex houses out of snot.