We are no longer posting to this blog, but stories of adventures from the Canadian Museum of Nature haven’t stopped. Read our new blog—http://canadianmuseumofnature.wordpress.com—to catch up with these authors, as well as other employees at the museum.
Some of the corals observed during the ROPOS dives are believed to be hundreds of years old. Unlike many true corals that form reefs in tropical regions over time, cold water corals simply grow bigger and bigger with age. As a result, when coral forests are destroyed by human activities such as trawling, one can expect just as long a period of time before these “forests” are reestablished. At one point in time, may be a hundred years ago, significant portions of our once productive fishing banks were probably covered by these coral forests. We now suspect that some species of fish need these habitats for certain stages of their life cycle. This may explain why some species are not recovering from overfishing as fast as we anticipated; we not only significantly reduced their stocks with our large commercial trawling gear but also removed a critical habitat they need to thrive.
An unidentified gorgonian coral, possibly a species of Acanthogorgia, surrounded by multitudes of sponges, other smaller corals and anemones. That gorgonian coral was not sampled and so may remain a mystery. This is one example of the difficult choices that must be made when balancing various science program objectives. (Flemish Cap Site 6) © DFO/ROPOS
The issue of human impact is particularly relevant here. While, for the time being, one can hope that these rich bottom communities will not be affected by deep-water trawling, we know that the reduction in fish stocks on continental shelves is pressuring the industry to explore deeper waters.
But probably a more imminent threat to these fragile communities is deep-water drilling for oil exploration. One would think that recent challenges in the Gulf of Mexico will have thought us a thing or two about our inability to deal with containment of oil spills and catastrophic deep-water well blowups. Unfortunately, oil exploration in Orphan Basin, just to the west of Orphan Knoll, is now a reality. There, water depth is 2600 metres, about 1000 m deeper than in the Gulf of Mexico. Many visitors brought up this subject and wondered if there a price we should not be willing to pay simply for the sake of more oil? I wonder too…
If you want to find out more about this scientific cruise, you can visit the Hudson 029 2010 Cruise blog and also look at some of their very impressive hi-resolution photos.
I was surprised by the large number of species that could not be readily identified. At this point in time, however, it is too early to know how many new species have been discovered during this expedition.
A potentially new species of gorgonian bamboo coral (Isididae) next to a flower-like glass sponge (Rossellidae: Crateromorpha?). (Orphan Knoll Site 1) © DFO/ROPOS
The research team obviously could not collect everything they saw but my guesstimate is that possibly 50% of the species collected may be new to science, or represent significant extension to their previously-known distribution.
A potentially new species, Keratoisis branches through and amongst sponge (Porifera). Brittle stars (Ophiuroidea) and crustacean shrimp (can you find it?) take advantage of the biogenic habitat generated. (Flemish Cap Site 6) © DFO/ROPOS
The research team will also go through many photos of deep-sea fishes, squids, octopuses and other bathypelagic (i.e., pelagic animals living at bathyal depths) organisms that often swam quickly in front of the camera and could not be collected. And who can forget the incredibly cute big-eyed octopus (possibly Graneledone verrucosa) that made the news around the world.
Rich and colourful fauna
The most amazing observations were the large amount of organisms on the seafloor and their colours. While it is total darkness at these depths, there is obviously no natural pressure to not have colours; and colours there are!
A rock ledge populated by various sponges (Porifera), soft corals of the genus Anthomastus, and a many armed brisingid sea star (Asteroidea: Brisingida). (Flemish Cap Dive 3) © DFO/ROPOS
Food is also more limited there than near the ocean surface but apparently plenty gets to the bottom to support this rich fauna. Most visitors were astonished by this. It was exciting to see many of them come to the realization that it is not “desert” down there.
Different substrates support different organisms
In previous posts, we saw that many of the rocky surfaces harbour an incredible amount of diversity. Surprisingly, it is not so different for soft sediments.
The pelagic lophogastrid Neognathophausia gigas swimming past a rock wall with sponge (Porifera) and Desmophyllum dianthus, solitary scleractinian (stony) corals. (Flemish Cap Dive 2) © DFO/ROPOS
Unfortunately, the ROPOS cameras reveal only the more obvious megafauna living at or near the sediment surface. Sediment cores collected with the help of one of the ROPOS arms will tell a bit more once the team analyses them back at the labs. Many species of sea worms (Polychaetes) and small crustaceans (Amphipods and Isopods) often dominate these soft sediment communities. These are the groups I studied the most.
A potentially new species of enteropneust worm (Hemichordata) slowly moving on soft sediment, ingesting mud by its mouth (under its colourful, flower-looking proboscis) and leaving a trail of clean sediment at the rear end. (Orphan Knoll Site 1) © DFO/ROPOS
And after spending several days with the public and in frequent communication with the research team onboard the CCGS Hudson, I was still excited by the reactions generated by these images and our discussions. I am convinced that many of the visitors realized that this rich deep-water fauna is an important part of our natural environment and needs to be protected.
My last post will share some sobering thoughts on the subject of threatened habitats and biodiversity.
We showed more than 30 hours of videos and since the ROPOS is equipped with HD video cameras, we were able to see the most amazing details of the seafloor and its inhabitants; not so much on the video because of transmission limitations but the still images speak for themselves (hi-resolution photos).
One particular aspect of this expedition that I emphasized to the public was the observation for habitats unaffected by human activities; in some areas, these habitats will have large numbers of branching cold water corals (forming what is called “coral forests”). These coral forests, with many species sponges often associated with them, provide shelter for many other species such as anemones, sea stars, fishes and other bottom-dwelling animals. I will talk about the significance of these “forests” in a subsequent post.
The gorgonian coral Paramuricea with several anemones (Hormathiidae: Amphianthus?) attached to its branches, surrounded by sponges, a larger anemone (contracted) and sea stars on the seafloor. (Flemish Cap Dive 1) © DFO/ROPOS
The ROPOS also has special equipment such as the two hydraulic arms and a jackhammer that allowed researchers to collect animals and rocks. No doubt, it takes special training to operate this sophisticated equipment.
The gorgonian coral Acanella arbuscula, one of the smallest and most common species of bamboo coral is being collected for a reproductive study. (Flemish Cap Dive 1) © DFO/ROPOS
In my next post, you’ll see that there is lots of work awaiting the researchers at the labs.
Deployment of the ROPOS from the research vessel CCGS Hudson. © DFO
On July 8, 2010, a multidisciplinary team of marine scientists left Halifax Harbour with the mission, among other things, to explore the seafloor in deep water areas never visited before. They used a remotely-operated vehicle called ROPOS to dive at great depths off the continental shelf of East Coast of Canada.
I’m Jean-Marc Gagnon, Chief Collection Manager of Invertebrates Collections at the Canadian Museum of Nature, and having spent years studying deep-water, soft-bottom communities, I had a great interest in seeing live videos of their exploration. I also thought the public would enjoy the experience.
So I arranged with the scientific team to have the video feed from this unmanned submersible, which were sent live by satellite through the internet, shown at the RBC Blue Water Gallery at the museum in Ottawa. I provided live interpretation on site and communicated with the scientific crew on the ship from time to time using Skype.
Original expedition route off the Canadian East Coast onboard the CCGS Hudson. Exploration of Site 5 (Tobin’s Point) had to be cancelled due to a number of unexpected delays. © DFO
During their 21-day scientific cruise, the team explored three regions: The Gully, off the Scotian Shelf; Flemish Cap, off the nose of the Grand Bank of Newfoundland; and Orphan Knoll, north east of the Grand Bank. At the Museum, we mostly looked at videos from Flemish Cap and Orphan Knoll. Most dives were at depths of 2000-3000 metres along the continental slope.
In my next posts, we’ll look at the deep-sea communities living there.
One of the live specimen components of the new water gallery is the Pacific Aquarium. It will be located right at the entrance to the new gallery, and those of you who have visited the museum in the past few years might think that it looks familiar. The aquarium used to be in our animal care centre in the old lunchroom (insert bug-eating joke of choice here – we’ve heard them all!) and has now been relocated to the new gallery space. Unfortunately, the process of moving an aquarium like this isn’t as simple as rolling the tank upstairs into its new home and plugging it in. First of all, the aquarium is too heavy to move in one piece when it’s full of water and specimens – our elevator couldn’t handle it! Also, because the aquarium was already thriving and healthy, the biological system which is already in place is fragile, and must be treated delicately so none of the specimens are harmed or damaged in the move.
Star Fish in the Pacific Aquarium
Staff handled the move by filling coolers full of salt water from the existing aquarium as well as a few specimens and carefully transported them from the basement up to the 2nd floor on the east side of the building. The existing aquarium will be set up in the mechanical support room as a back up (along with a big drum of salt water!), and then some of the remaining aquarium contents will be moved into a brand new aquarium. Staff started the move into the new aquarium with some of the heartier specimens like sea urchins and sea stars. They chose these particular specimens because they are the best candidates to maintain the existing aquarium environment, and then start up the new biological cycle in the new aquarium. As one staff member put it to me, they are the best at eating, pooping and living; important qualities to have for a sea creature in a new home! The move ended up going quite smoothly, with no damage to the specimens and only a minimal temperature change in the water. Let’s hope the specimens continue to be transferred successfully and everyone is happy in their new home!
This week in the water gallery, staff continues to work on multiple projects at once. The exhibit space is divided in two sections: the wing area by the entrance to the exhibit which will be dedicated entirely to the subject of oceans, and the back hall section which will be all about freshwater. The priority at the moment is getting all of the support structures in place, including some curvy blue walls which will support exhibits and act as protection for the displays. These blue walls will be in the oceans section of the exhibit, and provide a background for all kinds of specimens. One of these specimens is a giant sea turtle model, which serves as an example of how it’s possible for certain creatures to survive in an environment as vast as an ocean. It is expected that this step in installation will be done by the 19th of April and afterwards the rest of the specimens can start being moved into the exhibit! This description barely scratches the surface of what the water gallery offers, so make sure you come in to visit after May 22nd to really get the whole experience!
Curvy Blue Walls in Place - A backdrop for some impressive upcoming specimens
The turtles’ new habitat is finished and has been up and running for a few days, and it’s looking great. Custom built by the Animal Care staff, the habitat had to be water-tested to ensure that it has no leaks and that the water filtration pumps, air circulation system, and lighting all work smoothly. And so far, so good.
The nearly completed turtle habitat. Just add turtles.
The inner workings of the tank are cleverly disguised in a driftwood sculpture, giving the habitat a natural look and feel. Even the turtles’ basking light is hidden in piece of driftwood that extends over a nice flat rock. It will be a great spot for the turtles to relax and enjoy the heat as museum visitors check them out.
The basking light and rock.
In just a few weeks, the new habitat will be moving up to the water exhibit area and museum staff will be seeding it with some emerald shiners (a type of small bait fish) to kick-start the biological system. Then it will be ready for the turtles to move in!
Since Tallulah is the largest component in the new water gallery it was important to get her into place first, and then move on to installing all the other sections of the exhibit around her. Although she was the largest and most logistically challenging to move in and install, there are now all kinds of smaller issues that present equally big challenges. While initially all the focus was on Tallulah, now it has to be in 100 different places at once! Some of the projects the exhibit team are currently working on include installing large models of a narwhal, a shark, a beluga whale and a giant sun fish! They are also testing the sound for a variety of components, installing display cases around Tallulah that will eventually house various aquatic specimens (these cases also act as a handy barrier between Tallulah and the public who might want to try and cop a feel!), putting up plastic panels for information, as well as installing hardware to support the many different sections of the exhibit. In the past week, loads of progress has been made in the water gallery to start bringing everything together, and it’s a good thing since there are fewer than two months before the re-opening–its crunch time!
The Beluga Whale and The Narwhal
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- Following thousands of hours of labour, design and toil…Tallulah is complete. And she is MAGNIFICENT!)
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