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Reporting on the world's largest environment - the deep-sea.
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- September 1, 2010
- 08:37 AM
- 28 views
Dispersants! Part III: Do dispersants really promote degradation of oil?
by Holly Bik in Deep Sea News
Promoting microbial degradation of oil has been one of the main arguments in favor of dispersant use. Interestingly, the PWSRCAC review (covering literature from 1997-2008) did not identify any recent study that explicitly found dispersant use enhancing the biodegradation of oil. Actually, ~50% of studies found that chemical additives inhibited microbial degradation and the other half . . . → Read More: Dispersants! Part III: Do dispersants really promote degradation of oil?... Read more »
Venosa AD, & Holder EL. (2007) Biodegradability of dispersed crude oil at two different temperatures. Marine pollution bulletin, 54(5), 545-53. PMID: 17316707
Yoshida A, Nomura H, Toyoda K, Nishino T, Seo Y, Yamada M, Nishimura M, Wada M, Okamoto K, Shibata A.... (2006) Microbial responses using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to oil and chemical dispersant in enclosed ecosystems. Marine pollution bulletin, 52(1), 89-95. PMID: 16202430
- August 30, 2010
- 03:30 PM
- 35 views
Yicaris – Progenitor of the Crustacea
by Kevin Zelnio in Deep Sea News
Finding any new fossil is rare. Finding invertebrate fossils is made even more rare because of the squishy nature of most invertebrates. Sometimes the wandering paleontologist, toiling away with utmost care through dust and debris, can find parts of squishy invertebrates like scolodonts (polychaete jaws), coral rubble, carbonate shell cement, or maybe sea star or sponge . . . → Read More: Yicaris – Progenitor of the Crustacea... Read more »
Zhang, X., Siveter, D., Waloszek, D., & Maas, A. (2007) An epipodite-bearing crown-group crustacean from the Lower Cambrian. Nature, 449(7162), 595-598. DOI: 10.1038/nature06138
- August 24, 2010
- 10:50 PM
- 28 views
Plumes, Microbes, and Hypoxia…Did, Do, or Will They Exist in the Gulf
by Dr. M in Deep Sea News
The internets are a buzz with a new paper published in Science. You may recall I covered the new paper by Camilli et al. in Science demonstrating that a deep-water oil plume did exist, conclusively, in Gulf of Mexico at the time the researchers sampled, approximately May-June. One of the interesting findings was that at the . . . → Read More: Plumes, Microbes, and Hypoxia…Did, Do, or Will They Exist in the Gulf... Read more »
Hazen, T., Dubinsky, E., DeSantis, T., Andersen, G., Piceno, Y., Singh, N., Jansson, J., Probst, A., Borglin, S., Fortney, J.... (2010) Deep-Sea Oil Plume Enriches Indigenous Oil-Degrading Bacteria. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1195979
- August 23, 2010
- 08:35 AM
- 39 views
Dispersants! Part II: Toxicity
by Holly Bik in Deep Sea News
Part II: How toxic are dispersants?
This, I suppose, is the million-dollar question. The EPA has continually insisted that the actual dispersants is less toxic than dispersed oil. Ok, oil is full of some pretty nasty compounds, and the studies do in fact back up this claim. If you spray Corexit on some shrimp, and then spray . . . → Read More: Dispersants! Part II: Toxicity... Read more »
Fingas, M.F. (2008) A Review of Literature Related to Oil Spill Dispersants 1997-2008. Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) Report. info:/
Khan RA, & Payne JF. (2005) Influence of a crude oil dispersant, Corexit 9527, and dispersed oil on capelin (Mallotus villosus), Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), longhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus), and cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus). Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology, 75(1), 50-6. PMID: 16228872
- August 21, 2010
- 09:25 AM
- 73 views
Dispersants! A multi-part series to enlighten your brains.
by Holly Bik in Deep Sea News
When I don’t know enough about a subject, I tend to Google and data-mine—obsessively. So it has become with dispersants. In the wake of oil spill, this word has been thrown around, but often without any corresponding depth of information. Kind of like that cousin you always see at family parties but never manage to . . . → Read More: Dispersants! A multi-part series to enlighten your brains.... Read more »
Fingas, M.F. (2008) A Review of Literature Related to Oil Spill Dispersants 1997-2008. Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) Report. info:/
- August 19, 2010
- 02:00 PM
- 55 views
Scientists With Data Agree…A Deepwater Oil Plume Exists in the Gulf
by Dr. M in Deep Sea News
BP want’s to deny the presence of a deepwater oil plume in the Gulf of Mexico. The very oil plume both predicted by models published in 2003. The very oil plume that the massive amounts of dispersant injected at depth created to prevent oil from washing ashore. Even the government wants to deny the existence of any . . . → Read More: Scientists With Data Agree…A Deepwater Oil Plume Exists in the Gulf... Read more »
Richard Camilli, Christopher M. Reddy, Dana R. Yoerger, Benjamin A. S. Van Mooy, Michael V. Jakuba, James C. Kinsey, Cameron P. McIntyre, Sean P. Sylva, & James V. Maloney. (2010) Tracking Hydrocarbon Plume Transport and Biodegradation at Deepwater Horizon. Science. info:/10.1126/science.1195223
- July 28, 2010
- 04:13 PM
- 23 views
If I had my way, we’d just sequence everything
by Holly Bik in Deep Sea News
Transcriptomics of any variety is the study of RNA molecules (messenger RNAs, ribosomal RNAs, transcript RNAs and non-coding RNAs) present in a cell at any given time. By sequencing RNA molecules, we can get a snapshot of the genes being expressed in a cell, tissue, organism, or even whole community of organisms at a given place and time. These type of studies used to be carried out in a limited fashion using quantitative PCR (qPCR) or microarrays, but new sequencing technologies (454, Illumin........ Read more »
Gilbert, J., Field, D., Huang, Y., Edwards, R., Li, W., Gilna, P., & Joint, I. (2008) Detection of Large Numbers of Novel Sequences in the Metatranscriptomes of Complex Marine Microbial Communities. PLoS ONE, 3(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003042
Hewson, I., Poretsky, R., Beinart, R., White, A., Shi, T., Bench, S., Moisander, P., Paerl, R., Tripp, H., Montoya, J.... (2009) In situ transcriptomic analysis of the globally important keystone N2-fixing taxon Crocosphaera watsonii. The ISME Journal, 3(5), 618-631. DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2009.8
Moran, M.A. (2009) Metatranscriptomics: Eavesdropping on complex microbial communities. Microbe, 4(7), 329-335. info:/
Poretsky, R., Hewson, I., Sun, S., Allen, A., Zehr, J., & Moran, M. (2009) Comparative day/night metatranscriptomic analysis of microbial communities in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. Environmental Microbiology, 11(6), 1358-1375. DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01863.x
- July 23, 2010
- 11:47 PM
- 74 views
Jellyfish: Pretty from a Distance
by Kevin Zelnio in Deep Sea News
Photo from Dan Herschman's Flickr Stream (Click on Image).
A link from one of readers (thanks Ashley!) pointed us to a story on MSNBC about a very large Lion’s Mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) that broke apart and stung up to 100 people on a New Hampshire beach last Wednesday. Lion’s Manes can get very big, their . . . → Read More: Jellyfish: Pretty from a Distance... Read more »
Nüchter, T., Benoit, M., Engel, U., Özbek, S., & Holstein, T. (2006) Nanosecond-scale kinetics of nematocyst discharge. Current Biology, 16(9). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2006.03.089
- July 19, 2010
- 09:58 PM
- 69 views
Your Happiness Kills Crustaceans
by Dr. M in Deep Sea News
Figure 2 from paper: Mean average phototaxis and geotaxis score of E. marinus exposed to varied concentrations of serotonin (n = 20 per treatment) over a 3-week period. Error bars to one standard deviation. *Significance compared with control determined by Mann–Whitney and Bonferroni correction p < 0.0125.
Nearly 30-90% of the pharmaceuticals we digest are excreted . . . → Read More: Your Happiness Kills Crustaceans... Read more »
Guler, Y., & Ford, A. (2010) Anti-depressants make amphipods see the light. Aquatic Toxicology. DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2010.05.019
- July 15, 2010
- 02:05 PM
- 94 views
Determining the Fate of Carbon in a Mixotrophic Anemone
by Kevin Zelnio in Deep Sea News
It has been known for a long time that some anemones form symbiotic relationships with Zooxanthellae. For a while it was assumed that the anemones mainly persisted by utilizing carbon translocated from its symbionts, called autotrophy, but they can may supplement this by heterotrophic feeding on plankton. A study by . . . → Read More: Determining the Fate of Carbon in a Mixotrophic Anemone... Read more »
BACHAR, A., ACHITUV, Y., PASTERNAK, Z., & DUBINSKY, Z. (2007) Autotrophy versus heterotrophy: The origin of carbon determines its fate in a symbiotic sea anemone. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 349(2), 295-298. DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2007.05.030
- July 11, 2010
- 07:24 PM
- 118 views
70’s Porn Staches and the Female Fish Who Love Them
by Dr. M in Deep Sea News
From Schlupp, I., Riesch, R., Tobler, M., Plath, M., Parzefall, J., & Schartl, M. (2010) Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Straight men let’s face it. We will do anything if we think females will find it attractive. No matter how ludicrous, expensive, or time-consuming it may be, we will do it. The rise of mullets and Camaros . . . → Read More: 70’s Porn Staches and the Female Fish Who Love Them... Read more »
Schlupp, I., Riesch, R., Tobler, M., Plath, M., Parzefall, J., & Schartl, M. (2010) A novel, sexually selected trait in poeciliid fishes: female preference for mustache-like, rostral filaments in male Poecilia sphenops. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-0996-y
- July 7, 2010
- 09:34 PM
- 123 views
Ocean Warming Melts Methane Hydrates Which Screws Us All
by Dr. M in Deep Sea News
That’s pretty much the message of new study in Geophysical Research Letters. Large deposits of methane hydrates, i.e. methane ice, occur naturally in the seafloor sediments of the Arctic continental shelf between 300-600 meters. This is dominate reservoir for methane due to the large area and extremely low temperatures.
The continued and predicted warming of the oceans would cause methane . . . → Read More: Ocean Warming Melts Methane Hydrates Which Screws Us All... Read more »
Elliott, S., Reagan, M., Moridis, G., & Smith, P. (2010) Geochemistry of clathrate-derived methane in Arctic ocean waters. Geophysical Research Letters, 37(12). DOI: 10.1029/2010GL043369
- July 5, 2010
- 10:45 PM
- 78 views
The Tide Pool: Super Sperm Whales, Extinction Debts, and Vent Conservation
by Dr. M in Deep Sea News
An occasional series where we briefly report 3 new studies and tell you why they are cool!
A new report from Lambert et al. reports on a new fossil sperm whale skull, teeth, and mandible from Peru. Dating back to the 12-13 Mya from the Middle Miocene, Leviantha melvillei possessed a 3 meter (~10 feet) long head . . . → Read More: The Tide Pool: Super Sperm Whales, Extinction Debts, and Vent Conservation... Read more »
Lambert, O., Bianucci, G., Post, K., de Muizon, C., Salas-Gismondi, R., Urbina, M., & Reumer, J. (2010) The giant bite of a new raptorial sperm whale from the Miocene epoch of Peru. Nature, 466(7302), 105-108. DOI: 10.1038/nature09067
Triantis, K., Borges, P., Ladle, R., Hortal, J., Cardoso, P., Gaspar, C., Dinis, F., Mendonça, E., Silveira, L., Gabriel, R.... (2010) Extinction debt on oceanic islands. Ecography. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0587.2010.06203.x
Van Dover, C. (2010) Mining seafloor massive sulphides and biodiversity: what is at risk?. ICES Journal of Marine Science. DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsq086
- July 2, 2010
- 01:34 AM
- 128 views
Female Urochordates Have Few, If Any, Inhibitions
by Kevin Zelnio in Deep Sea News
Photo of Botryllus schlosseri from the Swalla Lab website
Yep, that’s right. They get it on with any male gamete that passes their way. They just don’t give a [rhymes with duck]. Boom chaka-laka-boom. These loose lizzies are all about increasing genetic diversity if you know what I mean. OH, I know you know . . . → Read More: Female Urochordates Have Few, If Any, Inhibitions... Read more »
JOHNSON, S., & YUND, P. (2007) Variation in multiple paternity in natural populations of a free-spawning marine invertebrate. Molecular Ecology, 16(15), 3253-3262. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03366.x
- June 30, 2010
- 08:38 PM
- 101 views
The Complex Science of Predicting Oil Plumes
by Dr. M in Deep Sea News
Blowouts and the subsequent dispersion of oil and gas in deep and shallow water differ immensely. In shallower waters, expelled gas will contribute to the buoyancy of the plume, which quickly rises to the surface. The rising gas bubble plume and the water it traps govern the size and shape of the resultant slick.
When a blowout . . . → Read More: The Complex Science of Predicting Oil Plumes... Read more »
Johansen, �. (2003) Development and verification of deep-water blowout models. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 47(9-12), 360-368. DOI: 10.1016/S0025-326X(03)00202-9
- June 23, 2010
- 12:02 AM
- 148 views
Pouring Oil on ‘Troubled Waters’
by Kevin Zelnio in Deep Sea News
We love getting interesting emails from our readers. Some are complaints about our (mostly mine) colorful language, many are emails telling us how they appreciate what we do, several even come from our colleagues who would like us to know about some recent research or a new expedition, and we get many readers asking us specific . . . → Read More: Pouring Oil on ‘Troubled Waters’... Read more »
Franklin, B. (1774) Of the Stilling of Waves by means of Oil. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 445-460. DOI: 10.1098/rstl.1774.0044
MacDonald, I., Leifer, I., Sassen, R., Stine, P., Mitchell, R., & Guinasso, N. (2002) Transfer of hydrocarbons from natural seeps to the water column and atmosphere. Geofluids, 2(2), 95-107. DOI: 10.1046/j.1468-8123.2002.00023.x
Wyckoff, Lieut. A.B. (1886) The use of oil in storms at sea. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 23(123), 383-388. info:/
- June 15, 2010
- 11:18 PM
- 122 views
Why Oil-Laden Prey is Bad for Sea Birds
by Kevin Zelnio in Deep Sea News
Oil is bad for wildlife. Period. But we really do not understand how it is bad. What does it do? Can marine organisms respond physiologically to oil in diets? For instance, translocate the toxic components to feathers and molt it off, much like some crabs, or have other physiologically mechanisms to . . . → Read More: Why Oil-Laden Prey is Bad for Sea Birds... Read more »
Pérez, C., Lores, M., & Velando, A. (2010) Oil pollution increases plasma antioxidants but reduces coloration in a seabird. Oecologia. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1677-2
- June 7, 2010
- 02:17 PM
- 1,077 views
What in Darwin’s Name Are Chaetognaths?!
by Kevin Zelnio in Deep Sea News
Lynn Margulis classified the Chaetognaths, known as arrow worms, as deuterostomes. Deuterostomy is characterized by several developmental characteristics including radial, indeterminate cleavage, a posterior position of the blastopore (deuterostomy=”second mouth”), enterocoelous coelom formation and a tripartite adult body plan . . . → Read More: What in Darwin’s Name Are Chaetognaths?!... Read more »
Ball, E., & Miller, D. (2006) Phylogeny: The Continuing Classificatory Conundrum of Chaetognaths. Current Biology, 16(15). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2006.07.006
Chen, J.-Y., & Huang, D.-Y. (2002) A Possible Lower Cambrian Chaetognath (Arrow Worm). Science, 298(5591), 187-187. DOI: 10.1126/science.1075059
Marlétaz, F., Martin, E., Perez, Y., Papillon, D., Caubit, X., Lowe, C., Freeman, B., Fasano, L., Dossat, C., & Wincker, P. (2006) Chaetognath phylogenomics: a protostome with deuterostome-like development. Current Biology, 16(15). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2006.07.016
- May 27, 2010
- 07:44 AM
- 151 views
Huge Silicate Sponge Spicules and the Evolution of Calcification
by Kevin Zelnio in Deep Sea News
Picture is copyright Emily S. Damstra and used by permission.
The deep-sea sponge Monorhaphis chuni (Hexactinellida) has the world’s largest known biosilica structure! A silicate spicule that can grow up to 3 meters long. That’s at least a meter longer . . . → Read More: Huge Silicate Sponge Spicules and the Evolution of Calcification... Read more »
Jackson, D., Macis, L., Reitner, J., Degnan, B., & Worheide, G. (2007) Sponge Paleogenomics Reveals an Ancient Role for Carbonic Anhydrase in Skeletogenesis. Science, 316(5833), 1893-1895. DOI: 10.1126/science.1141560
Müller, W., Eckert, C., Kropf, K., Wang, X., Schloßmacher, U., Seckert, C., Wolf, S., Tremel, W., & Schröder, H. (2007) Formation of giant spicules in the deep-sea hexactinellid Monorhaphis chuni (Schulze 1904): electron-microscopic and biochemical studies. Cell and Tissue Research, 329(2), 363-378. DOI: 10.1007/s00441-007-0402-x
- May 22, 2010
- 04:04 PM
- 182 views
Anatomy of an ecological catastrophe: what to expect in the deep Gulf of Mexico
by Dr. M in Deep Sea News
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is now over a month in duration and continues to worsen. Estimates of the total oil flowing from the damaged were estimated initially at 5,000 barrels per day. Now the 26,000 estimate by FSU professor Ian MacDonald looks more plausible. Moreover, the greatest impact of the current spill . . . → Read More: Anatomy of an ecological catastrophe: what to expect in the deep Gulf of Mexico... Read more »
Rogers, A.D. (1999) The Biology of Lophelia pertusa (LINNAEUS 1758) and Other Deep-Water Reef-Forming. Internal. Rev. Hydrobiol., 315-406. info:/
Hernández Arana, H., Warwick, R., Attrill, M., Rowden, A., & Gold-Bouchot, G. (2005) Assessing the impact of oil-related activities on benthic macroinfauna assemblages of the Campeche shelf, southern Gulf of Mexico. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 89-107. DOI: 10.3354/meps289089
Johnston, E., & Roberts, D. (2009) Contaminants reduce the richness and evenness of marine communities: A review and meta-analysis. Environmental Pollution, 157(6), 1745-1752. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.02.017
Trannum, H., Nilsson, H., Schaanning, M., & Øxnevad, S. (2010) Effects of sedimentation from water-based drill cuttings and natural sediment on benthic macrofaunal community structure and ecosystem processes. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 383(2), 111-121. DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2009.12.004
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