Swima the swimmer

[Geoff Read]

FYI

Osborn KJ, Haddock SHD, Pleijel F, Madin LP, Rouse GW 2009. Deep-Sea, Swimming Worms with Luminescent "Bombs". Science 325: 964 (and online 'supplement').

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/citmgr?gca=sci;325/5943/964

Swima bombiviridis named (new genus, new species of acrocirrid)

Abstract: "By using remotely operated vehicles, we found seven previously unknown species of swimming annelid worms below 1800 meters. Specimens were large and bore a variety of elaborate head appendages. In addition, five species have pairs of ellipsoidal organs homologous to branchiae that produce brilliant green bioluminescence when autotomized. Five genes were used to determine the evolutionary relationships of these worms within Cirratuliformia. These species form a clade within Acrocirridae and were not closely related to either of the two known pelagic cirratuliforms. Thus, this clade represents a third invasion of the pelagic realm from Cirratuliformia. This finding emphasizes the wealth of discoveries to be made in pelagic and deep demersal habitats."


Nice discovery. I want to know what they feed on, and how.

Geoff


--

 Geoff Read <g.read@...>
  http://www.annelida.net/
  http://www.niwa.co.nz/about-niwa
 ***************************


NIWA is the trading name of the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd.

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[J. Kirk Fitzhugh]

Nice discoveries indeed. It's unfortunate that the scientific merits of the phylogenetic hypotheses are dubious at best. But then, it *is* published in Science. ;-)

Kirk



-----Original Message-----
From: annelida-bounces@... on behalf of Geoff Read
Sent: Sat 8/22/2009 12:54 AM
To: <Annelida list
Subject: [Annelida] Swima the swimmer

FYI

Osborn KJ, Haddock SHD, Pleijel F, Madin LP, Rouse GW 2009. Deep-Sea, Swimming Worms with Luminescent "Bombs". Science 325: 964 (and online 'supplement').

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/citmgr?gca=sci;325/5943/964

Swima bombiviridis named (new genus, new species of acrocirrid)

Abstract: "By using remotely operated vehicles, we found seven previously unknown species of swimming annelid worms below 1800 meters. Specimens were large and bore a variety of elaborate head appendages. In addition, five species have pairs of ellipsoidal organs homologous to branchiae that produce brilliant green bioluminescence when autotomized. Five genes were used to determine the evolutionary relationships of these worms within Cirratuliformia. These species form a clade within Acrocirridae and were not closely related to either of the two known pelagic cirratuliforms. Thus, this clade represents a third invasion of the pelagic realm from Cirratuliformia. This finding emphasizes the wealth of discoveries to be made in pelagic and deep demersal habitats."


Nice discovery. I want to know what they feed on, and how.

Geoff


--

 Geoff Read <g.read@...>
  http://www.annelida.net/
  http://www.niwa.co.nz/about-niwa
 ***************************


NIWA is the trading name of the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd.

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[James Blake-2]

As a scientist interested in deep-sea ecology and polychaetes in particular, I found this to be one of the most interesting discoveries in quite some time. I had a chance to see some of Karen's examples during a short visit to Scripps last year, but had no idea that so many new taxa (7) had been discovered by her team. Given the relatively small geographic area sampled, this suggests that many more species are awaiting discovery.

 

The second video shows numerous specimens swimming near the seafloor which raises questions regarding their mode of life. Although there is no evidence that they are predatory, I wonder if they might be feeding on epi-benthic organisms such as cumaceans and mysids that swim just above the sediment-water interface. 

 

The Acrocirridae are proving to be much more diverse than previously believed. In our studies of deep-sea benthos, I have identified something like 15 distinct species of Flabelligella sensu lato (with 0, 1, 2, ?3 pairs of branchiae) from around North America, ca. 2/3 are undescribed.

 

It is interesting that that Karen's new pelagic taxa do not have the compound setae that characterize their benthic counterparts. 

 

Congratulations to the authors, I look forward to seeing more results.

 

Jim Blake

 

On 8/22/09, Geoff Read <g.read@...> wrote:

FYI

Osborn KJ, Haddock SHD, Pleijel F, Madin LP, Rouse GW 2009. Deep-Sea, Swimming Worms with Luminescent "Bombs". Science 325: 964 (and online 'supplement').

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/citmgr?gca=sci;325/5943/964

Swima bombiviridis named (new genus, new species of acrocirrid)

Abstract: "By using remotely operated vehicles, we found seven previously unknown species of swimming annelid worms below 1800 meters. Specimens were large and bore a variety of elaborate head appendages. In addition, five species have pairs of ellipsoidal organs homologous to branchiae that produce brilliant green bioluminescence when autotomized. Five genes were used to determine the evolutionary relationships of these worms within Cirratuliformia. These species form a clade within Acrocirridae and were not closely related to either of the two known pelagic cirratuliforms. Thus, this clade represents a third invasion of the pelagic realm from Cirratuliformia. This finding emphasizes the wealth of discoveries to be made in pelagic and deep demersal habitats."


Nice discovery. I want to know what they feed on, and how.

Geoff


--

Geoff Read <g.read@...>
http://www.annelida.net/
http://www.niwa.co.nz/about-niwa
***************************


NIWA is the trading name of the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd.

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--
James A. Blake, Ph.D.
Marine & Coastal Center
AECOM Environment, NE Region
89 Water Street
Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543
Tel: [phone]; FAX: [phone]
E-Mail: James.Blake@... and
jablake9@...
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[Struck, Torsten]

Indeed, it is a nice discovery and very interesting. Moreover, the
phylogenetic hypotheses are very solid (not at all "dubios at best") and
good in comparison to several other analyses out there.

Nice work Karen,

Torsten.


On 8/22/09 10:30 AM, "Kirk Fitzhugh" <kfitzhug@...> wrote:

> Nice discoveries indeed. It's unfortunate that the scientific merits of the
> phylogenetic hypotheses are dubious at best. But then, it *is* published in
> Science. ;-)
>
> Kirk
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: annelida-bounces@... on behalf of Geoff Read
> Sent: Sat 8/22/2009 12:54 AM
> To: <Annelida list
> Subject: [Annelida] Swima the swimmer
>
> FYI
>
> Osborn KJ, Haddock SHD, Pleijel F, Madin LP, Rouse GW 2009. Deep-Sea, Swimming
> Worms with Luminescent "Bombs". Science 325: 964 (and online 'supplement').
>
> http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/citmgr?gca=sci;325/5943/964
>
> Swima bombiviridis named (new genus, new species of acrocirrid)
>
> Abstract: "By using remotely operated vehicles, we found seven previously
> unknown species of swimming annelid worms below 1800 meters. Specimens were
> large and bore a variety of elaborate head appendages. In addition, five
> species have pairs of ellipsoidal organs homologous to branchiae that produce
> brilliant green bioluminescence when autotomized. Five genes were used to
> determine the evolutionary relationships of these worms within
> Cirratuliformia. These species form a clade within Acrocirridae and were not
> closely related to either of the two known pelagic cirratuliforms. Thus, this
> clade represents a third invasion of the pelagic realm from Cirratuliformia.
> This finding emphasizes the wealth of discoveries to be made in pelagic and
> deep demersal habitats."
>
>
> Nice discovery. I want to know what they feed on, and how.
>
> Geoff
>
>
> --
>
>  Geoff Read <g.read@...>
>   http://www.annelida.net/
>   http://www.niwa.co.nz/about-niwa
>  ***************************
>
>
> NIWA is the trading name of the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric
> Research Ltd.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Annelida mailing list
> Post: Annelida@...
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> Resources: http://www.annelida.net
>
>
>
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------ CONTACT INFORMATION ------
PD Dr. habil. Torsten H. Struck
University of Osnabrück
Department of Biology/Chemistry
Zoology
Barbarastrasse 11
D-49069 Osnabrück
Germany

Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: struck@...





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[J. Kirk Fitzhugh]

All,

I wish to apologize for the tone of my initial post. I made the mistake of writing it in haste after a very long day, and should have chosen better words to voice my opinion. I'm sincerely grateful to the replies that all of you provided me, here and personally. As many of you know, I speak my opinion. It's who I am, and I only do it because I love studying the nature of science and I think it's important that we all challenge ourselves as scientists.

I hope you can forgive a cranky old-ish guy for making yet another mistake.

Kirk


-----Original Message-----
From: annelida-bounces@... on behalf of Kirk Fitzhugh
Sent: Sat 8/22/2009 1:30 AM
To: Geoff Read; annelida@...
Subject: RE: [Annelida] Swima the swimmer

Nice discoveries indeed. It's unfortunate that the scientific merits of the phylogenetic hypotheses are dubious at best. But then, it *is* published in Science. ;-)

Kirk



-----Original Message-----
From: annelida-bounces@... on behalf of Geoff Read
Sent: Sat 8/22/2009 12:54 AM
To: <Annelida list
Subject: [Annelida] Swima the swimmer

FYI

Osborn KJ, Haddock SHD, Pleijel F, Madin LP, Rouse GW 2009. Deep-Sea, Swimming Worms with Luminescent "Bombs". Science 325: 964 (and online 'supplement').

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/citmgr?gca=sci;325/5943/964

Swima bombiviridis named (new genus, new species of acrocirrid)

Abstract: "By using remotely operated vehicles, we found seven previously unknown species of swimming annelid worms below 1800 meters. Specimens were large and bore a variety of elaborate head appendages. In addition, five species have pairs of ellipsoidal organs homologous to branchiae that produce brilliant green bioluminescence when autotomized. Five genes were used to determine the evolutionary relationships of these worms within Cirratuliformia. These species form a clade within Acrocirridae and were not closely related to either of the two known pelagic cirratuliforms. Thus, this clade represents a third invasion of the pelagic realm from Cirratuliformia. This finding emphasizes the wealth of discoveries to be made in pelagic and deep demersal habitats."


Nice discovery. I want to know what they feed on, and how.

Geoff


--

 Geoff Read <g.read@...>
  http://www.annelida.net/
  http://www.niwa.co.nz/about-niwa
 ***************************


NIWA is the trading name of the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd.

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Resources: http://www.annelida.net

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