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
Dec 20, 2015
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
Vaquer-Sunyer and Duarte, 2008
Grantham et al., 2004
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