Craig is temporarily a post-doctoral fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute who is looking for a permanent position. He spends most of his time balancing his overwhelming geekdom with normalcy so he can function in the real world. Luckily his wife likes his geekiness.
Peter Etnoyer is a Graduate Research Associate at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He studies deep corals and ocean fronts, and he loves to be on the water.
Kevin Zelnio is a Graduate Student Researcher at Penn State studying the ecology of hydrothermal vent and methane seep communities. He raises awareness of the plight of the spineless through folk music.
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Category: Ramblings
Posted on: November 13, 2007 4:50 PM, by CR McClain
So once again, things are slow and I ask you to suggest some questions/topics. Just put them in the comments and Peter and I will do are best to answer them. You may want to keep the questions deep sea related or you will be forced to read our ramblings on matters we have no idea about!
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Comments
As far as I'm concerned, all blogs could use more cephalopods!
Posted by: Firebyrd | November 13, 2007 5:57 PM
What are your (research) interests? I personally tend to find some of the more exotic deep sea communities interesting-- hydrothermal vent communities, whale falls, and life at the poles.
Posted by: keith | November 13, 2007 7:12 PM
Perhaps Peter can elaborate on the function of sweeper tentacles on certain types of bamboo corals. I'd love to see some pictures too. :-)
Posted by: Mercer | November 13, 2007 9:10 PM
Today I learned that squid eggs have some sort of bacterial coating that seems to protect them from rotting and (possibly) predation. And the bacteria are secreted by the mother squid.
Uh, so my question is, isn't that freaking cool? I don' really have an actual question. I'm curious how such a symbiotic relationship could have evolved and whether such things are seen in other cephalopods, but I suspect the answer to the first is your guess is as good as mine and the answer to the second is no.
Posted by: Homie Bear | November 13, 2007 11:25 PM
My question really comes from my students. Is/Are there things we can do to help save our marine life. We live inland, but want to find out what we can do to help. They also want to know if any of the marine life was harmed from all the smoke from the California fires. Oh, and I have one student who wants to know if you have got to meet Jeff Corwin. I guess he saw him on tv standing in front of the aquarium.
Thanks
Posted by: Blondie | November 14, 2007 2:47 AM
At the cellular/molecular level, just how big an issue is pressure for deep-sea creatures? Do enzymes that work fine at the surface fail in the deep and vice versa? Or is this not an issue?
Posted by: Michael | November 15, 2007 8:38 AM
Yes, following on Michaels question, many people assume that deep sea critters die when brought up from the depths because of the change in pressure. But aren't they mostly made of incompressible fluids? I think many people analogizing from the experience of gas-filled, scuba diving humans. As I have heard it explained, it is actually the change in temperature that kills deep sea creatures. How much of a factor is temperature in their enzymatic activity? What prevents us from keeping deep sea creatures for long periods in captivity? Is it just a matter of collection techniques. I suppose light-sensitivity would also be an issue for these animals. Dr. Tamara Frank has done quite a bit of research in that matter.
Posted by: Jason | November 15, 2007 10:02 AM
To Jason and Michael,
Check out these previous posts.
http://scienceblogs.com/deepseanews/2007/09/temperature_not_pressure.php
http://scienceblogs.com/deepseanews/2007/01/25_things_you_should_know_abou_1.php
Posted by: CR McClain | November 15, 2007 3:51 PM
I'll try and put together a little deep sweeper tentacle expose, just for Mercer. Pictures, too. Thanks for the question.
Posted by: Peter | November 15, 2007 6:39 PM
I'm taking an Invertebrate Biodiversity class right now, and have really be intrigued by all of the amazing benthic fauna. I have one question, though, and my professor admitted to not knowing the answer: how to soft-bodied benthic organisms withstand the immense pressure from being on the bottom of the ocean? It seems like pressures capable of collapsing human lungs would similarly squish soft invertebrate bodies, why is this not the case?
Posted by: Anne-Marie | November 16, 2007 5:01 AM
Anne-Marie check out the posts linked above about the adaptations of organisms to pressure
Posted by: CR McClain | November 16, 2007 8:15 AM
Thanks, I apologize I was in a hurry this morning and didn't review the other questions before posting. Those links were a huge help, I appreciate it!
Posted by: a | November 16, 2007 1:19 PM
Blondie,
Are there things we can do to help save our marine life. We live inland, but want to find out what we can do to help.
http://scienceblogs.com/deepseanews/2007/11/how_to_save_the_ocean.php
They also want to know if any of the marine life was harmed from all the smoke from the California fires.
Probably Not
Oh, and I have one student who wants to know if you have got to meet Jeff Corwin. I guess he saw him on tv standing in front of the aquarium.
Nope
Posted by: CR McClain | November 20, 2007 4:41 PM
The research you speak of is by David Epel. To date, I believe the are still trying to figure out the answer to your first question. To the latter, the website below states Epel has fount this in numerous other squid.
http://www-csgc.ucsd.edu/STORIES/SquidRepro.html
Posted by: CR McClain | November 27, 2007 4:59 PM