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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Deep sea surveys detect over five thousand new species in future mining   
   hotspot    
      
     Date:   
         May 25, 2023   
     Source:   
         Cell Press   
     Summary:   
         There is a massive, mineral-rich region in the Pacific Ocean --   
         about twice the size of India -- called the Clarion-Clipperton   
         Zone (CCZ), which has already been divided up and assigned to   
         companies for future deep-sea mining. To better understand what   
         may be at risk once companies start mining, a team of biologists   
         has built the first 'CCZ checklist' by compiling all the species   
         records from previous research expeditions to the region. Their   
         estimates of the species diversity of the CCZ included a total   
         of 5,578 different species, an estimated 88% - 92% of which are   
         entirely new to science.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   There is a massive, mineral-rich region in the Pacific Ocean -- about   
   twice the size of India -- called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ),   
   which has already been divided up and assigned to companies for future   
   deep-sea mining. To better understand what may be at risk once companies   
   start mining, a team of biologists has built the first "CCZ checklist"   
   by compiling all the species records from previous research expeditions   
   to the region. Their estimates of the species diversity of the CCZ,   
   publishing in the journalCurrent Biology on May 25, included a total   
   of 5,578 different species found in the region, an estimated 88%-92%   
   of which are entirely new to science.   
      
   "We share this planet with all this amazing biodiversity, and we have   
   a responsibility to understand it and protect it," said Muriel Rabone,   
   a deep-sea ecologist at the Natural History Museum London, UK.   
      
   Spanning six million square kilometers from Hawaii to Mexico, the CCZ is   
   one of the most pristine wilderness regions in the global ocean. To study   
   it, researchers brave the Pacific Ocean on research cruises that employ   
   sampling techniques ranging from the technical, like remote-controlled   
   vehicles that traverse the ocean floor, to the simple, like a sturdy   
   box that lands on the bottom (referred to as "box core sampling").   
      
   "It's a big boat, but it feels tiny in the middle of the ocean. You could   
   see storms rolling in; it's very dramatic," said Rabone. "And it was   
   amazing -- in every single box core sample, we would see new species."   
   By parsing through over 100,000 records of creatures found in the CCZ   
   taken during these deep-sea expeditions, Rabone and her co-authors found   
   that only six of the new species found in the CCZ -- which include a   
   sea cucumber, a nematode, and a carnivorous sponge -- have been seen   
   in other regions. They also found that the most common types of animals   
   in the CCZ are arthropods (invertebrates with segmented joints), worms,   
   echinoderms (spiny invertebrates like sea urchins), and sponges.   
      
   "There's some just remarkable species down there. Some of the sponges   
   look like classic bath sponges, and some look like vases. They're just   
   beautiful," said Rabone of the CCZ samples. "One of my favorites is the   
   glass sponges. They have these little spines, and under the microscope,   
   they look like tiny chandeliers or little sculptures."  Going forward,   
   the team emphasizesthe importance of increasing cohesive, collaborative,   
   and multidisciplinary research efforts in the CCZ to gain a deeper grasp   
   of the region's biodiversity. They underline the importance of learning   
   more about the newly discovered species and how they are connected to the   
   environment around them. Additionally, they urge researchers to delve   
   into the biogeography of the region to better understand, for example,   
   why certain species cluster in particular geological regions.   
      
   "There are so many wonderful species in the CCZ, and with the possibility   
   of mining looming, it's doubly important that we know more about these   
   really understudied habitats," said Rabone.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # New_Species # Marine_Biology # Fish   
             o Earth_&_Climate   
                   # Oceanography # Earth_Science # Geography   
             o Science_&_Society   
                   # Ocean_Policy # Land_Management # Environmental_Policies   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Biodiversity o Giant_squid o Colossal_Squid o Deep_sea_fish   
             o Ocean_current o Atlantic_salmon o Ocean o Sea_turtle   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by Cell_Press. Note: Content may be   
   edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Muriel Rabone, Joris H. Wiethase, Erik Simon-Lledo', Aidan   
      M. Emery, Dan   
         O.B. Jones, Thomas G. Dahlgren, Guadalupe Bribiesca-Contreras,   
         Helena Wiklund, Tammy Horton, Adrian G. Glover. How many   
         metazoan species live in the world's largest mineral exploration   
         region? Current Biology, 2023; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.052   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230525135858.htm   
      
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