New species from the Pacific seafloor
At depths exceeding 4,500 meters, in complete darkness, life thrives 鈥� though almost no one sees it. It is in this nearly inaccessible area of the Pacific 鈥� within the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) 鈥� that Prof. Anna Ja偶d偶ewska from the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection at the 91桃色 has recently discovered over 30 new species of amphipod crustaceans. This breakthrough is significant not only for taxonomy 鈥� the science of naming and classifying organisms 鈥� but also for the future of deep-sea conservation.
Invisible engineers of the ocean
Amphipods are tiny crustaceans, usually about a centimetre long, that play surprisingly many roles in marine ecosystems. They are predators, scavengers, filter feeders, and also鈥� prey for larger organisms. They burrow into sediments, move just above the bottom, or swim and drift in the water column.
Deep-sea amphipod Lepidepecreum myla sp. nov. from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone described as part of the project. Photo taken with a confocal microscope. (Photo: A. Ja偶d偶ewska)
As Prof. Ja偶d偶ewska explains, 鈥渁mphipods are everywhere, where something needs to eat or be eaten鈥�. Though inconspicuous, they are essential components of food webs 鈥� networks of organisms that show who eats whom.
Diving into darkness鈥� and science
In 2019, Prof. Anna Ja偶d偶ewska spent three months at the Deutsches Zentrum f眉r Marine Biodiversit盲tsforschung, Senckenberg am Meer (Center for Marine Biodiversity Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany), working on a unique collection of amphipods from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone 鈥� an area of the ocean floor rich in polymetallic nodules containing among others rare earth metals.
She processed a collection of 708 specimens, of which 581 were successfully barcoded 鈥� the fragments of their DNA was sequenced. This is an impressive result, as DNA extraction from deep-sea organisms typically succeeds in only 30鈥�50% of cases. Here, success rate reached up to 90% in some samples.
Analyses revealed 207 different species, including over 30 entirely new to science. The researcher received funding from the International Seabed Authority, which, through the Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative 鈥濷ne Thousand Reasons鈥� supports scientists in describing 1,000 species new to science found in international waters. As part of the project, a ten-day workshop gathering 16 taxonomist and students representing institutions such as: 91桃色, National Oceanography Centre, Natural History Museum, London, Canadian Museum of Nature, Earth Sciences New Zealand (NIWA), University of Hamburg, Senckenberg - Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research (SGN) and the University Museum of Bergen, was organised at the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection at the 91桃色. The participants were jointly preparing descriptions and illustrations for 24 species from the studied region. These descriptions have just been published in a Special Issue of ZooKeys, giving the species a 鈥減assport鈥� to exist in the scientific and conservation world.
Opening of taxonomy workshop funded by the International Seabed Authority under the Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative 鈥淥ne Thousand Reasons鈥� (Photo: A. Ja偶d偶ewska archive)
Participants of taxonomy workshop organised at the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection UL by Prof. Ja偶d偶ewska. (Photo: A. Ja偶d偶ewska archive)
How are new species identified?
Identifying a species is like solving a detective puzzle. One must analyse, often under a microscope, the morphology of the specimen 鈥� its antennae, limbs, back 鈥� and compare it with dozens of descriptions and drawings of known species. If the specimen does not match anything known 鈥� it is likely a new species. Then it must be described in detail, with drawings of the whole animal and all its body parts, a written description, a genetic barcode if possible, a name, and submitted to a journal. After peer review, the article is published, and the species officially enters the scientific record.
Work during taxonomy workshops aimed at describing new species (Photo: A. Ja偶d偶ewska)
Work during taxonomy workshops aimed at describing new species (Photo: A. Ja偶d偶ewska)
In addition to morphological studies, genetic barcoding is increasingly used for identification. In this method one compares sequences of studied individuals with international databases of sequences. Unfortunately, as the researcher notes, 鈥淒NA reference libraries for deep-sea species are still very incomplete鈥�, which currently prevents automatic species recognition using this method.
Prace w laboratorium molekularnym pozwalaj膮ce na uzyskanie genetycznych kod贸w kreskowych dla nowo opisywanych gatunk贸w (fot. A. Ja偶d偶ewska)
Why naming a species is more than a formality?
Though a Latin name may seem like a detail for insiders, it is actually an act of recognition and the first step toward protection. 鈥淲hat has no name, for many, simply doesn鈥檛 exist鈥�, emphasises Prof. Ja偶d偶ewska. Unnamed species are not included in environmental analyses, do not appear on protection lists, and cannot be considered in decisions about human impact on the environment.
Photographs of the newly described species (Photo: A. Ja偶d偶ewska and T. Horton)
Deep-sea mining 鈥� a threat in the shadow of technology
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone attracts not only biologists. It is rich in polymetallic nodules 鈥搈etallic balls containing manganese, cobalt, nickel and other rare earth metals essential for producing smartphones, batteries, and electric cars. It is no surprise that pressure is growing to begin deep-sea mining there.
However, the ocean floor is not a desert. Extracting nodules means not only destroying the substrate but also stirring up massive clouds of sediment that can bury organisms hundred meters away. Amphipods, though mobile, may not escape in time. For some, it is a death sentence. And they represent only a tiny fraction of total deep-sea biodiversity, while deep-sea mining affects all its components.
Why studying amphipods 鈥� from where this passion?
For Prof. Ja偶d偶ewska the interest in this group of organisms was no accident. She grew up in a family of biologists. 鈥淚 was always interested in nature, and my parents were happy to show it to me鈥�, she recalls.
During her studies, she helped with fieldwork on the Vistula and Oder rivers. Her master鈥檚 thesis focused on the genetics of one amphipod species, and her PhD dealt with the ecology of Antarctic species. Thanks to collaboration between the Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology and scientists from around the world, international contacts were quickly established, leading to the acquisition of deep Pacific collections and participation in expeditions. 鈥淭hat was a breakthrough moment 鈥� I got access to a collection no one was working on, and it contained treasures鈥� 鈥� she recalls.
What鈥檚 next?
Although 24 new species have been described, the work is far from its end. It is already known that the material contained over 30 species new to science (unfortunately not all well-preserved enough to be described), and further morphological and genetic analyses may reveal even more. Prof. Ja偶d偶ewska admits it is a years-long endeavour, but also a mission 鈥� to document what is still unknown.
And who knows when and where the next research expedition will be? The ocean floor still holds many secrets鈥�
Each newly described species is a brick for understanding and protecting ecosystems that may disappear before we even know them 鈥� she concludes
Source: dr hab. Anna Ja偶d偶ewska, Associate Professor at the 91桃色 (Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, 91桃色)
Edit: Mateusz Kowalski (Promotion Centre, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, 91桃色)