Ocean Conservancy’s Post

A rare sighting of an otherworldly creature is always a thrill! This deepstaria jellyfish was spotted during the #AtacamaTrenchAncients expedition off the coast of Chile. This member of the Ulmaridae family was first described in 1967. It was named after Deepstar 4000, a deep-submergence vehicle designed by Jacques Cousteau and built by Westinghouse in 1965. David F. Gruber — dubbed “the Jellyfish Guy” by peers — thinks jellyfish have lots of charisma, and deepstaria, in particular, are one of the more obscure and interesting jellyfish he’s ever encountered. He spent several years examining jellyfish as a potential food source and medicine. According to a 2018 paper by Gruber et al., in the 45+ years since its formal description, there have been few recorded observations of deepstaria due to the challenging nature of encountering these delicate soft-bodied organisms. However, recent advances in our ability to observe squishy creatures in their natural environments are shedding light on these mysterious creatures. Lacking stinging tentacles like other jellies, these animals capture their dinner by enveloping prey in their bag-like bodies. The veiny network of channels in their thin outer membrane is a gastrovascular system consisting of canals that deliver food to a stomach located at the top of the animal’s bell. In 2018, Gruber and colleagues on the E/V Nautilus observed a “jelly-fall” carcass with a high density of crustaceans feeding on its tissue and surrounding the carcass. They believe jellies and other gelatinous zooplankton play an outsizedbut understudied role as major food sources and biodiversity drivers in the deep Ocean.

TRUE BUG THURSDAY!   Introducing the aquatic true bug (Hemipteran insect) Laccotrephes tristis commonly known as “Water Scorpions” 🌊 🦂   Belonging to the family Nepidae, which also includes water stick insects (subfamily Ranatrinae), the genus Laccotrephes is represented by a single freshwater species (L. tristis), with a wide distribution across Australia (except Tassie).   The common name reflects the flattened body, long ‘tail’ (aka siphon) and those gnarly raptorial / prehensile pincer-like forelegs 💉 which help the voracious ambush predator hunt along the edges of shallow margins of waterbodies (preferably lentic pool habitats). Growing to nearly 5cm, these carnivorous hunters can pack quite the punch, and have even been known to drive their rostrum into the toes of unsuspecting victims (we’ve heard this can be quite the painful experience – but far less harmful than the sting of a true scorpion!).   Some fun facts on water scorpions include: 🏊♂️ They are poor swimmers, preferring to crawl, and whilst seldom observed, have strong flying / dispersal capacities! 💉 Digestive enzymes are pumped into prey through the rostrum, to liquefy body tissues for a tasty meal (hence the intense painful experience in humans!) 💙 They use a siphon arising from the tip of the abdomen for respiration (like a snorkel) 🙈 Master’s at the art of camouflage, they often cover their backs with mud, waiting concealed with heads directed towards deeper water 🥚 Adults lay their eggs in the interstitial spaces of mineral substrate and on the submerged and emergent macrophytes 🏆 The genus has over time been referred to as "Lack-of-trophies" during field work with crew from opposing WA supporter bases 🏉   #truebugthursday #aquatic #ecology #passion #thinklaterally #sciencecommunication

🐛  Celebrating the unsung ecosystem heroes: UK Invertebrate of the Year 2024 🐝 While vertebrates often steal the spotlight, it’s time to turn our attention to the unsung champions of biodiversity: invertebrates! 🕷 🐜 🦋 Why Invertebrates Matter: More than 95% of the world’s known living creatures—over 1.3 million species—are spineless wonders. From insects to snails, they play vital roles in our ecosystems. 🔍 The Competition: The Guardian, has curated a fascinating shortlist of 10 species for the prestigious title of UK Invertebrate of the Year 2024. These invertebrates tell tales of resilience, adaptation, and survival in our rapidly changing world.  Some are familiar faces, while others remain hidden gems. 🗳️ Nominate your own UK invertebrate candidate! Share your reasons and help celebrate these unsung heroes. The deadline for submissions is midnight on Friday, April 12.   🐞 My Choice: The Ladybird - my horticultural hero. Here’s why:   🐞 Aphid Assassins: Ladybirds are nature’s stealthy pest controllers. Their voracious appetite for aphids— keeps our gardens in balance. Say goodbye to chemical pesticides; the ladybirds have it covered!   🐞 Lucky Charms: Across cultures, ladybirds are symbols of good fortune. Their bright colours and gentle demeanour evoke harmony and balance. Plus, who can resist those charming spots?   🐞  Harbingers of Spring: When winter’s chill retreats, ladybirds emerge—a vibrant burst of colour heralding warmer days ahead. Their arrival signals life awakening anew. Let’s honour these tiny ambassadors of seasonal change. 🐞  Metamorphosis Magic: From egg to larva to pupa, ladybirds undergo a captivating transformation. Their life cycle mirrors resilience and adaptation. In their metamorphosis, we find hope for a changing world. 🎉 Now it’s your turn! Nominate your favourite invertebrate and let’s celebrate these unsung heroes together. 🎉🐛🦋

#learnsomethingnew This is an especially big year for these red-eyed bugs: Brood XIX and Brood XIII — which pop up every 13 years and 17 years, respectively — are emerging at once. The last time such an event happened was the spring of 1803, when Thomas Jefferson was president. It will be hundreds of years before it happens again. While the insect explosion will be brief, it will shape forests for years to come. The binge-fest that birds enjoy during these periods supersize their families and, in turn, shift the eating and hunting patterns of many other species. These effects send ripples throughout the ecosystem. As one recent study put it, pulses of periodical cicadas can “rewire” entire forest food webs. Call it the butterfly cicada effect. https://lnkd.in/eKZxr7G2

Ever wondered how human-centric the starfish story (the overused story of how a little boy walked the beach to throw starfishes one by one, back in the ocean so they don't dry up) is? It totally disregards the resilience of starfishes to actually know tides and hold out, and that they are able to move on their own as well. Not only do seastars have arms (of which the word even does disservice to how cool their suction appendages really are), they are actually not helpless to humans as the misused story paints them out to be. So here's an ode to seastars, with a cool article that tells us more about the cool ways seastars are able to feed, move and flip themselves back over, with their appendages. May we value co-existence with all earthlings great and small more, by learning to take on the perspectives of living things beyond humans, and give them due credit for their fascinating abilities that science has lovingly uncovered for us.  https://lnkd.in/guEDq4hj #science #coexistence #inclusivity #differentperspectives #animalperspectives #humancentricworld #biocentric #biodiversity #seastars #oceanliteracy #humility

Cicadas Are Coming: Rare ‘Dual Emergence' Could Awaken a Trillion Bugs of 2 Species – First Time in 221 yrs: No one alive today will see it again—the convergence of two cicada broods that will practically shake the Midwest with their chirping. The appearance of cicadas en mass is one of the most amazing natural phenomena of the insect world, and we Americans are uniquely positioned to witness it. But this spring, the synchronized emergence […] The post Cicadas Are Coming: Rare ‘Dual Emergence' Could Awaken a Trillion Bugs of 2 Species – First Time in 221 yrs appeared first on Good News Network. https://lnkd.in/g7r8ymv8

🐜 Are invertebrates finally beginning to get their time in the spotlight? 🥂 It was refreshing to see this article in the Guardian last week and I do think it is part of an overdue wider trend of recognising the fascinating world of invertebrates and the roles they play in ecosystems. 🐘 Charismatic mammal species still dominate the mainstream psyche, an easy win, as they somehow feel more relatable to most people. But invertebrates are full of strange and fascinating adaptations, much of which we are still learning about. 🐌 We are still slow in adequately surveying and taking account of invertebrates in surveys and monitoring (note recent BNG vs invert research work from Natalie Duffus and team). This is partly due to this lack of appreciation and partly a lack of expertise. 🔬 But there are some really amazing innovations now available which give me hope. From eDNA sampling to acoustic monitoring (check out AgriSound) to even tiny camera traps 🤯 (https://shorturl.at/uyVWZ) to help us gather more vital data before we end up losing many of these species for good. They will also help us continue to tell better stories. 👩⚕️ There are lots of amazing ecologists, NGOs, and volunteer groups who have been banging the drum for inverts for a long time now, let's hope this more mainstream attention isn't fleeting. 🦋 For me, my vote has to go to the hummingbird hawk-moth they fill me with so much joy every time I see them. What would your nomination be? PS. and of course another shout to bring in more animal emojis please! https://lnkd.in/eBV-grZU

Wednesday morning’s question for inquiring minds… What came first; the chicken or the egg? The wild ancestor of chickens is generally agreed to be a tropical bird still living in the forests of Southeast Asia called the red junglefowl – with other junglefowl species possibly adding to the genetic mix. From these origins, humans have carried chickens around the world over the past two millennia or more. So, eggs dramatically predate chickens. But to be fair to the spirit of the riddle, we should also consider whether a chicken’s egg predates a chicken. As humans consistently chose the tamest red junglefowls and bred them together, the genetic makeup of the resulting birds will have shifted. At some stage during this domestication process the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) evolved into a new subspecies, Gallus gallus domesticus, AKA the chicken. Read more in the New Scientist article entitled, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” @ https://lnkd.in/djRqpAFb

Cicadas Are Coming: Rare ‘Dual Emergence' Could Awaken a Trillion Bugs of 2 Species – First Time in 221 yrs: No one alive today will see it again—the convergence of two cicada broods that will practically shake the Midwest with their chirping. The appearance of cicadas en mass is one of the most amazing natural phenomena of the insect world, and we Americans are uniquely positioned to witness it. But this spring, the synchronized emergence […] The post Cicadas Are Coming: Rare ‘Dual Emergence' Could Awaken a Trillion Bugs of 2 Species – First Time in 221 yrs appeared first on Good News Network. https://lnkd.in/gjE-edFa