October 4, 2021: Brisingid Sea Stars, Anemones, and Sponges
Image courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust - Cruise NA124. Download larger version (jpg, 4.1 MB).
As today is World Habitat Day, it’s a good time to recall that the continued discovery of novel biodiversity in deep ocean habitats is often accompanied by discovery of new resources. During the Mineral-Rich Marine Biomes expedition, scientists explored nine sites along the Southern California Borderland in order to collect data to begin to answer questions such as what lives in the deep ocean and what ecosystem services do these organisms provide? Should any of these services be protected? Can resources be exploited without harming these ecosystems?
While exploring along the central Patton Ridge during the expedition, brisingid sea stars, anemones, and sponges were observed to occur in high densities on steep, iron-manganese encrusted rocky faces.
From: Who Should Care About the Deep Ocean and Why Should We Explore It?.