Harlequinmania

Click through to see the images. It was assumed that routine cleaning of subs like Alvin after surfacing would take care of the bulk of the hitchhikers with the remainder killed due to depressurization as the sub rose to the surface after a dive. This, however, is not the case with at least one species of limpet, Lepetodrilus gordensis, as scientists have now learned. Scientists were using the Alvin submersible (pictured above) to sample hydrothermal vents at Gorda Ridge (depth 2.7 km), off the west coast of the United States. During their dive, they picked up a number of animal specimens in their sampling chambers including the limpet L. gordensis. After surfacing late in the evening, the science team proceeded to clean Alvin per standard operating protocol. They cleaned the hull and sampling equipment and assumed that they had removed everything. If they missed something, they assumed that the depressurization from this dive and the repressurization of the upcoming dive would kill anything they missed. They sailed 635 km in 30 hours to their next dive site: Endeavour Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge, off the coast of Seattle, WA. There they dove 2.2 km to retrieve wood structures that were placed at Endeavour Segment 2 year prior. After securing the structures, the crew sampled the animals that were dislodged from the wood. Once their dives were complete, the collected specimens were examined. What the scientists found surprised them. They again found the limpet L. gordensis, at the second dive site. What happened? L. gordensis is only known to live at Gorda Ridge. This second site does not even have the proper nutritional requirements for L. gordensis to survive. Did they find a new population that somehow found a way to survive in this environment or did they somehow have stowaways from the previous dive? DNA testing was used to test the 16S gene of the limpets to determine if the samples were two separate populations or species from the same population. It turns out that they were from the same population indicating that they were hitchhikers from the previous dive. Apparently depressurization is not enough to kill Lepetodrilus - and possibly other deep sea life as well. The scientists commented that "our small limpets and their associates accrued somewhere in the suction sampler, perhaps in the corrugated hose, where enough water pooled to keep them alive. Replacing the corrugated hose with a smooth hose may help prevent inadvertent transplants of biota, but any surface or crevice on the submersible or associated gear could provide refuge to macrofauna or bacteria. Spraying and flushing of gear by a member of the science party between dives is standard procedure, but in hindsight, may be insufficient." This paper was rather embarrassing for the scientists to write as it showed that their cleaning procedures and depressurization were not enough to stop cross-contamination. It was published, however, as a way to highlight the need for vigilance when visiting deep sea sites by submersibles. [They] urge [their] colleagues to assume that physiologically tough stowaways are present on deep-sea research tools and to guard against transport of non-native species by clearing hoses and rinsing containers with freshwater, or even a peroxide solution, and drying tools before transporting them to different sites. Such measures may be especially important when working near marine reserves, such as Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents Marine Protected Area (Dando & Juniper 2001). Even when science operations are nonbiological, inadvertent collection of biota is likely, perhaps even unavoidable. The biological consequences of working with subsea vehicles are still being determined, and best practices are still being developed. Preventing introductions is of paramount importance in maintaining intact hydrothermal vent ecosystems. (via BBC, Conservation Biology) View the full article

Click through to see the images. We'll be back tomorrow with more aquarist news and articles. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy exploring more of the world's undersea wonders with us. Today's video playlist stars the artificial coral reefs of a Jordanian M42 Duster anti-aircraft tank, British SS Thistlegorm merchant ship, and USN Vought F4U Corsair. View the full article

ya i agreed.. It is rather diff to keep in captive

Did you try keeping tiger sponge ?

By pairing an intimate knowledge of immune-system function with a deep understanding of statistical physics, a cross-disciplinary team has arrived at a surprising finding: T cells use a movement strategy to track down parasites that is similar to strategies that predators such as monkeys, sharks and bluefin tuna use to hunt their prey. View the full article

It took some 10 million years for Earth to recover from the greatest mass extinction of all time, latest research has revealed. View the full article

Click through to see the images. The US transport ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942, beached at Bali, and finally dislodged by a volcanic eruption in 1963 when she drifted to her final underwater resting place off the coast of Tulamben (Bali, Indoensia). It's amazing to see how many reef organisms now embrace a sunken war relic as their home. Video by Lachie Smith. The underwater footage begins at 1:40. View the full article

Click through to see the images. The US transport ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942, beached at Bali, and finally dislodged by a volcanic eruption in 1963 when she drifted to her final underwater resting place off the coast of Tulamben (Bali, Indoensia). It's amazing to see how many reef organisms now embrace a sunken war relic as their home. Video by Lachie Smith. The underwater footage begins at 1:40. View the full article

This is the video of the Mexico queen angel from last week LCK shipment. There is still about 3 pcs there i think.. There is a clear blue coloration on the body ..

still looking.

Click through to see the images. Video: NatGeo View the full article

Click through to see the images. Video: NatGeo View the full article

Click through to see the images. Earlier in the week, we shared another ADA video (English version) describing the extensive design and build process for the nature aquarium exhibits at the newly opened Sumida Aquarium in the Tokyo Sky Tree Town complex. Here is the finished results of Amano's work. Brace yourself for awesomeness. " height="408" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> View the full article

Click through to see the images. Visit 3reef.com to view more photos and information about Niels' remarkable 48x16x20" (120x40x50cm) room-dividing reef. Here's a small sampling of his wonderful reef system including a 16 minute theatrical video. " height="408" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> View the full article

Click through to see the images. Visit 3reef.com to view more photos and information about Niels' remarkable 48x16x20" (120x40x50cm) room-dividing reef. Here's a small sampling of his wonderful reef system including a 16 minute theatrical video. " height="408" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> View the full article

Click through to see the images. Visit 3reef.com to view more photos and information about Niels' remarkable 48x16x20" (120x40x50cm) room-dividing reef. Here's a small sampling of his wonderful reef system including a 16 minute theatrical video. " height="408" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> View the full article

Click through to see the images. About Flashback Fridays: Every Friday, Advanced Aquarist will repost a blog article from this week one year ago. With all the content we publish, we want to share the timeless and interesting articles for our new readers as well as regulars who may have missed the origin Reef2Reef members are the most avid exotic coral collectors I know, so it was a natural community to find some of the most exotic Blastomussa wellsi photos to showcase. Enough with words and on to the photos! B.wellsi #1 of m'akoyPINOY B.wellsi #2 of m'akoyPINOY B.wellsi #3 of m'akoyPINOY One sweet Blasto colony from A Reef Creation First Time's Orange Crush Orange Crush frag by First Time A B.wellsi from yours truly Another one of my personal B.wellsi with an understated pastel pigmentation. Even a healthy, run-of-the-mill red Blasto is amazing The beautiful stripped Blasto of youngtimothy View the full article

Ya.. i think i saw only one royal gramma

Biologists have presented the first evidence that areas closed to all fishing are helping to sustain valuable Australian fisheries. The scientists applied a forensic DNA profiling approach to track the dispersal pathways of fish larvae throughout a network of marine reserves on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. View the full article

Biologists have presented the first evidence that areas closed to all fishing are helping to sustain valuable Australian fisheries. The scientists applied a forensic DNA profiling approach to track the dispersal pathways of fish larvae throughout a network of marine reserves on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. View the full article

Recent surveys reveal an unprecedented number of young scallops in two fishery management areas off the mid-Atlantic coast. The results bode well for the continued success of the commercial fishery. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Photo by Tim Wong, Steinhart Aquarium Tubastrea or orange cup coral reproduces asexually by producing planula larvae, and these larvae settle relatively quickly compared to most other corals. Because of this, a small percentage will avoid being sucked up by filters and pumps and settle successfully in captivity. Aquarists with healthy, well fed colonies of orange cup coral can expect to start seeing very small polyps on aquarium rockwork, walls, or plumbing within a few months to a year. The tiny planulae will also settle on the sandbed, which makes a very convenient location for collecting the juvenile polyps for propagation. A rock wall of approximately 8 square feet in area is covered in Tubastrea colonies in this exhibit. Settled juvenile polyps appear on the sand at a frequency of approximately 1-2 per day. Although this number may seem fairly low, no effort is currently made to maximize settlement or collect the planulae as they are released from the parent colonies. Simple steps could be taken to maximize the collection of larvae--determining the timing of larvae release and turning off the pumps during this time to allow better settlement, caging adult colonies in breeder baskets, and building fine mesh traps to prevent the planulae from being sucked into the filtration system, for instance. The corals are fed throughout the day with a mix of live enriched Artemia nauplii (in Reed Mariculture’s Shellfish Diet and Nannochloropsis) and Cyclop-eeze. These are mixed with saltwater and added to the tank every few minutes over an 8 hour period with a peristaltic pump. The benefit of this feeding strategy (vs. target feeding once or twice per day with larger foods) is that it is a lot less work than feeding several hundred polyps, and also assures food getting to the smallest polyps in the tank. Photo by Matt Wandell Photo by Matt Wandell Photo by Matt Wandell View the full article

Scientists have new insight into which processes regulate long-term populations of sea urchins. New research includes an analysis of extraordinary episodes such as the violent storm that hit the Catalan coast on 26 December 2008, which caused the disappearance of around 80% of the population of sea urchins in the archipelago of the Medes and the Montgrí coast. View the full article

Scientists have new insight into which processes regulate long-term populations of sea urchins. New research includes an analysis of extraordinary episodes such as the violent storm that hit the Catalan coast on 26 December 2008, which caused the disappearance of around 80% of the population of sea urchins in the archipelago of the Medes and the Montgrí coast. View the full article

Lunge feeding in rorqual whales (a group that includes blue, humpback and fin whales) is unique among mammals, but details of how it works have remained elusive. Now, scientists have solved the mystery. They discovered a sensory organ in the chin of rorqual whales that communicates to the brain. The organ orchestrates the dramatic adjustments needed in jaw position and throat-pouch expansion to make lunge feeding successful. View the full article