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Sea anemones (Cnidaria: Actiniaria, Corallimorpharia) of the deep northeastern Pacific Ocean: a baseline survey. W.E. Eash-Loucks. University of Kansas – Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity Institute. Why Study Deep Sea Anemones?.
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Sea anemones (Cnidaria: Actiniaria, Corallimorpharia) of the deep northeastern Pacific Ocean: a baseline survey. W.E. Eash-Loucks University of Kansas – Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity Institute
Why Study Deep Sea Anemones? • Very little is known about the fauna and their distribution • Much is known about shallow water anemones • Growing oxygen minimum zone off the coast of Oregon
Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs) • ~150 worldwide • Low oxygen • Hypoxia • Anoxia • Below photic zone • Areas where little mixing occurs • Can be natural or manmade http://earthguide.ucsd.edu
The OMZ off the Coast of Oregon • Caused by upwelling • High nutrients • Low oxygen • Strongest in summer • Growing mcbi.org Chan et al., 2007
Effects of OMZ on Marine Life • Increased mortality • Cnidarians have high tolerance to low O2 • Sea anemones are likely to be the last group effected Grantham et al., 2004 Vaquer-Sunyer and Duarte, 2008
Establishing a Baseline • Southern California to British Columbia • 60 – 4,100 m • 1960s – 1970s • Approximately 25 species • 13 studied closely • Large • Abundant
Methods for Species Identification • External Anatomy • Body form and color • Tentacle number and arrangement • Internal Anatomy • Histology • Cnidae etc.usf.edu
Previously Described Species • Metridium farcimen • Paractinostola faeculenta • Anthosactis nomados • Actinauge verrillii • Paraphelliactis pabista
Previously Described Species • Corallimorphus denhartogi • Monactis vestita • Bathyphellia australis • Liponema brevicornis
New/Unidentified Species • Bolocera sp. • Actinoscyphia n. sp. • Sicyonis n. sp. • Member of Family Sagartiidae
Summary • OMZ in northeastern Pacific Ocean poses a threat to marine life • Established baseline of anemone fauna can be used to make conclusions about how anemones are effected by the growing OMZ • Identified 13 of approximately 25 species of deep sea anemones
Acknowledgments • Funding • Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Travel Fund • Biodiversity Institute, Panorama Society Small Grant • Specimen Loans • Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History • Daphne Fautin