tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20448108604644462452024-03-16T09:10:07.584+08:00The SeaLifeBase ProjectThe SeaLifeBase Project is a joint initiative of the Sea Around Us Project (Fisheries Centre, UBC, Vancouver, Canada) and the FishBase Information and Research Group, Inc. (FIN). This searchable online information system follows the highly successful FishBase model and provides key information on scientific and common names, distribution, ecology and life history data for all multi-celled marine organisms of the world's oceans.SeaLifeBase Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863665335980978457noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-16469125703926159492020-07-21T15:40:00.001+08:002020-07-22T12:16:43.715+08:00SeaLifeBase at 15: Looking back at its wealth of data<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Numbers can speak a lot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a>, a biodiversity information system on the world's marine organisms other than fish, started in 2005. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">It's patterned after the well-known <a href="http://fishbase.org/" target="_blank">FishBase</a>, the world's leading biodiversity information system on all fishes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">It took a lot of work to make this database possible -- with dozens of staff and hundreds of collaborators around the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">It's been 15 years since then. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Time flies, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">We can now look back and dip into the wealth of data which can only become more important in the years to come.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">SeaLifeBase now covers 76,000 marine species (apart from finfish) with
56,000 common names backed up by 36,000+ references. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Globally, we now have 300+
collaborators who helped us make available 13,000+
pictures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SeaLifeBase and FishBase are freely available.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">If you're keen to learn more about non-fish marine organisms, from the charismatic sea turtles down to the fascinating world of meiofauna, be sure to share this resource.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-68894762743536428582020-07-16T11:54:00.001+08:002020-07-16T11:54:30.969+08:00Coronavirus: boon and bane for sea turtles<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">This has been evident in major ecosystems like River Ganges, where, in some places, the waters have become drinkable again for the first time in two decades [1].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Horseshoe crabs have seen stabilization in its population in Delaware Bay. A precarious respite, it's important though that there's no resurgence in fishing of this dinosaur age relic since its blue blood is crucial to meeting the growing demand for the production of safe coronavirus vaccine [1].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Quieter oceans have also led to the resurgence of 2000 dolphins off the coast of Fujairah in the UAE [2], superpod of 350 sperm whales (<i><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Physeter-macrocephalus.html" target="_blank">Physeter macrocephalus</a></i>) off Sri Lanka [3], and more sightings of endangered dugongs (<i><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Dugong-dugon.html" target="_blank">Dugong dugon</a></i>) off the coast of Thailand [4].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Despite all these good news, giving wildlife time and space to recover can be a double-edged sword for some animals. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">This is the case for sea turtles [5].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo of a green sea turtle (<i><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Chelonia-mydas.html" target="_blank">Chelonia mydas</a></i>) hatchling, Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica, from </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lavanyasunkara/2020/04/29/covid-19-travel-restrictions-are-further-endangering-sea-turtles-how-to-help/#6e4195b26b7b" style="font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">Forbes</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">The logic is that beach closures would be a good thing for these creatures since this would mean less disturbance to them [5]. True enough. This has been the case in one beach in Thailand where 11 leatherback sea turtle (<i><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Dermochelys-coriacea.html" target="_blank">Dermochelys coriacea</a></i>) nests have been found since November, the highest record in the past two decades. No such nests had been recorded in the last five years. A real boon. [6,7].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">On the other side, the pandemic also meant hampering important research and conservation projects [5,8].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">In the case of Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN), 300 volunteers are typically enlisted to monitor hundreds of kilometers of beaches in Texas. With the onset of COVID-19, however, only two full-time staff are left to patrol the stretches of beach once a week [5].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">This poses a huge threat to the critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles (<i><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Lepidochelys-kempii.html" target="_blank">Lepidochelys kempii</a></i>) since the transfer of their eggs to the hatchling facility is curtailed. Poachers are also likely to steal eggs for income. Beach closures also mean slow response to the threats they are facing [5].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Many turtle conservation groups are also hard hit financially [5,9]. Budgets are usually obtained from volunteer programs which have come to a complete halt due to travel bans [5,10]. Along with this is loss of donations from larger institutions, drying up funding reserves for conservation [5]. This is most critical for projects that have taken decades of work for sea turtle populations to recover [9].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">You may <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/ComNames/CommonNameSearchList.php?crit1_operator=CONTAINS&search_text=sea+turtle&search_button=Search" target="_blank">click here to know more about sea turtles</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[1] Degnarain, N. (2020, May 16). Six places where oceans, rivers and marine life have rebounded during the coronavirus pandemic. <i>Forbes. </i>Retrieved from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y8hdjm8p"><span style="color: blue;">https://tinyurl.com/y8hdjm8p</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[2] Haza, R. (2020, April 14). Watch: rare albino Risso's dolphin spotted off Fujairah coast. <i>The National</i>. Retrieved from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ya6vvkb3"><span style="color: blue;">https://tinyurl.com/ya6vvkb3</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[3] Rodrigo, M. (2020, May 6). Researchers miss out on sperm whale superpod in Sri Lanka amid pandemic. <i>Mongabay. </i>Retrieved from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y8ed449s"><span style="color: blue;">https://tinyurl.com/y8ed449s</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[4] The Star. (2020, April 27). Thai oceans see more fish and dugongs amid coronavirus closures. Retrieved from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y73zjl39"><span style="color: blue;">https://tinyurl.com/y73zjl39</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[5] Owens, B. (2020, May 6). COVID-19 is not all good for wildlife. <i>Hakai Magazine. </i>Retrieved from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ycap8owy"><span style="color: blue;">https://tinyurl.com/ycap8owy</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[6] Geggel, L. (2020, April 21). Baby leatherback sea turtles thriving due to COVID-19 beach restrictions. <i>Live Science. </i>Retrieved from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9jwte9d"><span style="color: blue;">https://tinyurl.com/y9jwte9d</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[7] The Guardian (2020, April 20). Coronavirus lockdown boosts numbers of Thailand's rare sea turtles. Retrieved from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9z4bdcd"><span style="color: blue;">https://tinyurl.com/y9z4bdcd</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[8] Daffurn, E. (2020, April 27). COVID-19: Good or bad for the ocean? <i>Scuba Diver Life</i>. Retrieved from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ya2ljun7"><span style="color: blue;">https://tinyurl.com/ya2ljun7</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[9] Sea Turtle Conservancy (2020, June 1). Sea turtle conservation work in Tortuguero threatened due to COVID-19. Retrieved from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yamjeg6p"><span style="color: blue;">https://tinyurl.com/yamjeg6p</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[10] Sunkara, L. (2020, April 29). COVID-19 travel restrictions are further endangering sea turtles. How to help. <i>Forbes. </i>Retrieved from <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9xk2tyj"><span style="color: blue;">https://tinyurl.com/y9xk2tyj</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-57482308129193286592020-06-30T19:05:00.000+08:002020-06-30T19:14:40.420+08:00SeaLifeBase Turns 15!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The ocean is teeming
with life that one cannot possibly fathom all its deepest secrets. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">But if data is crunched into its meaty bits, made sense of and presented cohesively, it is certain to
be useful in marine studies and conservation. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Such
have been the roles of <a href="http://www.fishbase.org/" target="_blank">FishBase</a> and <a href="http://www.sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a>, two online global biodiversity
information systems that, together, provide biological and ecological
information on more than 110,000 marine species.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Last month, <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liMFPgJvPjA&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">video</a></span> highlighting the origin and evolution of <a href="http://www.fishbase.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; padding: 0in;">FishBase</span></a> from its conceptualization in the late
1980s to the present. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Now, it is SeaLifeBase’s turn!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/home/index.php" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a> covers
most marine species in the world apart from finfish (and notably those that are
exploited, threatened, endemic and charismatic). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">This responded to making sure
all remaining sea creatures of the world other than fishes can share the
limelight. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">In essence, SeaLifeBase emulates the highly commended framework of
FishBase, aiming to provide key information on scientific and common names,
distribution, ecology and life history data for all multi-celled organisms of
the world’s oceans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">It has been around since 2005, and to date, has been strengthened
by contributions from over 300 collaborators from all around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Embracing the gift of sharing free and relevant information its
proponents have perpetuated, SeaLifeBase team carries with it the goal of
forming meaningful collaborations and providing relevant and far-reaching
information to attain its long-term goal of completing all large marine
ecosystems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">We hope you get to learn more about the origin of
SeaLifebase, its evolution and the people behind the scenes that brought this
project to life, adding value to students, researchers, fisheries managers,
NGOs and enthusiasts alike. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Enjoy the video!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-76913377289805272532020-01-31T17:25:00.001+08:002020-02-03T11:34:06.432+08:00The Missing Biography: Where Do Baby Turtles Go During Their 'Lost Years'?<br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The life
of a sea turtle begins as it hatches within the buried sand and instinctively
sprints into the water amidst a gauntlet of predators. But many survive... then vanishes, their movements secretly held by the
vast ocean.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Depending
on the species, a sea turtle spends 1-15 years in the open sea, the so-called ‘lost
years’ — the period that ensues after the turtles break free from their eggs to
reach the open ocean until the time they come back as large juveniles to their
feeding grounds near coastlines. Scientists find it critical to understand this
because it serves as the foundation of sea turtle populations. Sea turtles live
long lives so understanding this missing part of their ‘biography’ and the
threats they may encounter is important to inform conservation efforts and
guide policies.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">According
to Katherine Mansfield, who has studied turtles for more than 20 years, the
challenge in completing the turtles’ biographies is that it’s just difficult to
survey an entire ocean.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But they
did it.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6kgY8IjphLY/XjPsFJGJgsI/AAAAAAAAAV8/nzuo1KCvJbkbV5h3eUz2KcXMJH8786B1ACEwYBhgL/s1600/Mansfield_etal2014.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="637" height="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6kgY8IjphLY/XjPsFJGJgsI/AAAAAAAAAV8/nzuo1KCvJbkbV5h3eUz2KcXMJH8786B1ACEwYBhgL/s640/Mansfield_etal2014.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure from <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2013.3039" target="_blank">Mansfield et al. (2014)</a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">She and
her team of researchers from the University of Central Florida fit 17 newborn
loggerheads with tiny satellite tags. It took them a long time to perfect this.
What they realized is that turtle’s shells are made of keratin (as our
fingernails are). So what they did is seek a collaborator’s manicurist, and, with her brilliant idea, they were able to fit the satellite tags using
an acrylic base coat that seals the shell from peeling. The tags lasted for
more than 7 months.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">These
efforts produced a map which clearly shows the movements of loggerheads for 27
to 220 days.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What
Mansfield found out is that the basic overall pattern of movement of
loggerheads coincides with previous knowledge, but there were significant
nuances in the path each individual turtle takes. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For
instance, contrary to common knowledge that turtles go straight and fast to the
North Atlantic Gyre (and they’re mostly right), it turns out they took their
time running in local circles, even taking them away from the gyre to the
Sargasso Sea.<br /><i><br />Sargassum</i>, a type of brown algae,<i> </i>is a
favorable habitat for baby turtles since it provides shelter against predators. It's also a haven for the cold-blooded turtles because the warmer waters of the seaweed-filled surface allow them to grow faster and reach sexual maturity
earlier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Unraveling clues where baby turtles go during their 'lost years' and have it mapped out has been a feat for Mansfield and her team. There are more questions though. So after 5
years, she and a large team of researchers took it a notch
higher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">They
developed a computer model that predicts where sea turtle hatchlings go after
they leave Florida's shores.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That's
for our next blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Stay
tuned.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Keen to
learn more about these fascinating turtles? You can learn more </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/ComNames/CommonNameSearchList.php?crit1_operator=CONTAINS&search_text=sea+turtle&search_button=Search" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">HERE</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">.</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">________</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Mansfield, K. L., Wyneken, J., Porter, W. P., & Luo, J.
(2014). First satellite tracks of neonate sea turtles redefine the ‘lost years’
oceanic niche. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1781),
20133039.<br />
<br />
Putman, N. F., Seney, E. E., Verley, P., Shaver, D. J., López</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">‐</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Castro,
M. C., Cook, M., ... & Peña, L. J. (2019). Predicted distributions and
abundances of the sea turtle ‘lost years’ in the western North Atlantic
Ocean. Ecography 42:1-12.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;">Science Daily (2019 Dec 23). Where do baby sea turtles go? New research technique may provide answers. Retrieved from </span><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><u><a href="http://bit.ly/37Mpcls">http://bit.ly/37Mpcls</a></u></span></span></span></div>
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Yong, Ed. (2014 Mar 4). Where do Baby Turtles Go During Their Lost Years?
Retrieved from <a href="https://on.natgeo.com/2uM5K9I" target="_blank">https://on.natgeo.com/2uM5K9I </a><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-44222840894666229932020-01-31T10:11:00.003+08:002020-01-31T10:15:26.032+08:00Q-QUATICS IS HIRING!<br />
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<a href="https://www.q-quatics.org/2020/01/29/qq-is-in-search-of-3-research-assistants-and-1-software-engineer/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1136" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbZSCT29j9Y/XjOIHl9MraI/AAAAAAAAAVc/AeuvdYrUW_MT-wuvByHthu_u3PYS_7fgACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/QQ-JobPost-1-30-20.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Q-Quatics is looking for three (3) Research Assistants and one (1) </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Software Engineer.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">For qualifications and requirements click on the photo above or see <a href="https://www.q-quatics.org/2020/01/29/qq-is-in-search-of-3-research-assistants-and-1-software-engineer/" target="_blank">HERE</a>. We are hoping to attract interest from the widest pool of young talents.<br /><br />Work location is here in Los Ba</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">ñ</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">os, Laguna, Philippines. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Deadline of the application process is on 29 February
2020.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Quantitative Aquatics, Inc.</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> (<a href="http://www.q-quatics.org/">www.q-quatics.or</a>g) is a non-stock,
non-profit, non-governmental organization established in the Philippines in
February 2017. Q-quatics was created to support the assembly and dissemination
of key data on living aquatic resources for the development of research tools
in collaboration with international partners. As such, Q-quatics manages the
global biodiversity information systems FishBase (<a href="http://www.fishbase.org/">www.fishbase.org</a>), SeaLifeBase (<a href="http://www.sealifebase.org/">www.sealifebase.org</a>), and the global
aquatic biogeography initiative, AquaMaps (<a href="http://www.aquamaps.org/">www.aquamaps.org</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Q-quatics also supports the
cutting-edge databases and research developed by the Sea Around Us (<a href="http://www.seaaroundus.org/">www.seaaroundus.org</a>), which provides
policy options for marine fisheries resources, their sustainable use and
possible responses to climate change. As such, it partners with the Sea
Around Us in identifying projects that would help initiate or maintain
research on global fisheries and biodiversity conservation.</span></i><span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-33755907666613066662019-11-15T13:08:00.000+08:002019-11-15T13:17:56.574+08:00How Do You Weigh A Living Whale?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6shnlus1TCY/Xcov3scVyfI/AAAAAAAAASo/2QVr66BzKGoAFncc4BXIQtmr-9zhSxjtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/dronewhales1-A-subadult-southern-right-whale-surfacing-in-clear-water-in-Peni%25CC%2581nsula-Valde%25CC%2581s_Fredrik-Christiansen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6shnlus1TCY/Xcov3scVyfI/AAAAAAAAASo/2QVr66BzKGoAFncc4BXIQtmr-9zhSxjtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/dronewhales1-A-subadult-southern-right-whale-surfacing-in-clear-water-in-Peni%25CC%2581nsula-Valde%25CC%2581s_Fredrik-Christiansen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credits to Fredrik-Christiansen (Photo from <a href="https://www.oceanographicmagazine.com/right-whales-drone-research/" target="_blank">Oceanographic Magazine</a>)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The obvious answer is that scientists can't really use a scale.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">For starters, dead </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/ComNames/CommonNameSearchList.php"><span style="color: #1155cc;">whales</span></a> can weigh as
much as 210 kg to a whopping 160 t. Besides, measurements can be inaccurate
given the physical distortion of carcasses caused by bloating and deflation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">But scientists have something new in their arsenal.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Something that can be used above the sea...</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">But first, let’s learn about how whales are weighed in the past.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The only way to get data on the body mass of whales was to weigh
dead or stranded individuals. Studying blue whales, for instance, was limited
to dead specimens from whaling operations, fisheries bycatch and beach
strandings.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This can be especially limiting with scientists boxed from
collecting longitudinal data over a whale's lifespan. This has prevented the
inclusion of body mass in many studies in ecology, physiology and bioenergetics.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">But now scientists can accurately estimate the weight of
free-living whales.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The answer? </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Drones.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Scientists took aerial photos of 86 </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Eubalaena-australis.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">southern right whales</span></a>
off the coast of Península Valdés, Argentina.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The waters were clear and the sheer number of whales gathering
every winter to breed allowed for the measurement of both the dorsal and
lateral sides of the whales.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">With crisp images, they were able to get data for length, width
and height.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">These values were then plugged into a model (and voila!) an
accurate calculation of whales' body volume and mass.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">What's more fascinating is that the parameters of the model can be
adjusted to estimate as well the size of other marine mammals, an alternative
that can be considered over invasive methods.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This discovery opens a lot of doors for research.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">For one, they can now explore the growth of known aged individuals
to calculate their body mass increase over time and the energy requirement for
growth. They can also peek into the daily energy requirements of whales and
derive prey consumption.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Weight data can also provide insights on how chronic stressors
influence whale survival and how they can produce offspring.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This innovation also paved the way to recreating a 3D mesh of the
whale and a full-color 3D model in the works, which can be used for studying
movement and for educational purposes.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a> hosts data on the weight of marine mammals, from </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Balaenoptera-musculus.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">blue whale</span></a> to the <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Kogia-sima.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">dwarf sperm whale</span></a>,
the smallest known whale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Feel free to explore.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Happy learning!</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">___________________</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[1] </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/2041-210X.13298"><span style="color: blue;">Christiansen, F., Sironi, M., Moore, M. J., Di Martino, M.,
Ricciardi, M., Warick, H. A., Duncan, J. I., Gutierrez, R., Uhart, M. M.
(2019). Estimating body mass of free</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">‐</span><span style="color: blue;">livingwhales using aerial
photogrammetry and 3D volumetrics. Methods in Ecology andEvolution.</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[2]
EurekAlert! Researchers use drones to weigh wales. Retrieved from </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-10/whoi-rud100119.php?fbclid=IwAR2aML0gasxOfu2q2IqSwNoax8znfubn0EH36CHKgnz2nhqXi7muvdVjyWI"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-10/whoi-rud100119.php?fbclid=IwAR2aML0gasxOfu2q2IqSwNoax8znfubn0EH36CHKgnz2nhqXi7muvdVjyWI</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[3]
Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood and M.A. Webber 1993 FAO species Identification
Guide: Marine Mammals of the World. Rome, FAO. 320 p. + 587 figures.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-60846623510369886222019-07-26T15:49:00.000+08:002019-11-27T10:23:30.919+08:00A rare and unforgettable sight: The rainbow-colored blanket octopus<br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">What's better than seeing a rare sea creature? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Well, seeing two of them and capturing them on camera, of course!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The deep sea never fails to amaze us with bouts of often odd and elusive, yet all the m</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">ore wonderful creatures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Take
the recent sighting of the rare blanket octopus, which </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">the lucky cameraman Joseph Elayani was able to</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> encounter and film in the wild. On
a night dive in the open sea at Romblon (Philippines), at depths of 9-22 m [1], he caught sight of not only one but a pair of female rainbow-colored blanket octopus. It was a glorious moment for Elayani as he witnessed the rapidly shifting colors of the arms, from hues of pastel blues and purple to stunning reds and oranges. This change in color is deemed to be the octopus' </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">reaction from the different light levels of the camera or as a strategy to ward off predators [2].</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWOLe1dqJ-w/XTpwsLBHY_I/AAAAAAAAAMo/6at74lniZn8FeMAXnuNSjymYnCb0QdiZQCLcBGAs/s1600/BlanketOctopus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWOLe1dqJ-w/XTpwsLBHY_I/AAAAAAAAAMo/6at74lniZn8FeMAXnuNSjymYnCb0QdiZQCLcBGAs/s640/BlanketOctopus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credits to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/josephyossie.elayani" target="_blank">Joseph Elayani </a>via Cater News<br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; text-align: center;">Blanket
octopuses are pelagic creatures found in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and the
Pacific, in tropical to subtropical waters. They belong to the genus</span><i style="font-size: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"> Tremoctopus</i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; text-align: center;">
[3]. It got its name from the sheets of webbing that extend between some
of their arms [4]. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Octopus, in general, are known to be masters of disguise, changing color patters to blend to their environment and escape predators or sneak on their prey or even mimic other species. Blanket octopus, meanwhile, are known to spread their majestic arms out to drive away
would-be predators [4].</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">One
of the things that make them odd is the sheer size difference between sexes: while males are less than an inch long, females can grow up to six feet long
and weigh up to 40,000 more than males. It's also unusual that they are immune to
the stinging cells of the perilous jellyfish Portuguese man-of-war, which it uses
as a weapon against predators [4]. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Current
population data on blanket octopus is unknown [4]. For the meantime, immerse in the
beauty that these two lovely octopuses have to offer.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="color: purple; font-size: 13pt;">We welcome collaboration with marine scientists and enthusiasts alike.
If you have more information or photos on blanket octopuses, you can leave us a message at sealifebase[at]gmail[dot]com.</i></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">[1] Good News
Pilipinas. Rare rainbow-colored blanket octopus caught on diver’s camera in
Romblon waters. Retrieved from <a href="https://bit.ly/2Y3HEVL">https://bit.ly/2Y3HEVL</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">[2] </span>Best, S. (18 Jun 2019). Stunning rainbow blanket octopuses spotted swimming in depths of ocean. <i>Mirror</i>. <span style="line-height: 150%;"> Retrieved from </span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://bit.ly/2YiRpKU">https://bit.ly/2YiRpKU</a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">[3] Turgeon,
D.D.; Quinn, J.F. Jr.; Bogan, A.E.; Coan, E.V.; Hochberg, F.G.; Lyons, W.G.;
Mikkelsen, P.M.; Neves, R.J.; Roper, C.F.E.; Rosenberg, G.; Roth, B. (1998).
Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and
Canada: Mollusks, 2nd ed. <i>American Fisheries Society (Special publication
26), Bethesda, Maryland. 526 p</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">[4] National
Geographic. <i>Blanket octopus</i>. Retrieved from
<a href="https://on.natgeo.com/32VuskK">https://on.natgeo.com/32VuskK</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">[5] USA
Today (4 June 2019). Rare 'rainbow' blanket octopuses caught on camera in the
Phillippines | USA TODAY. Retrieved from <a href="https://bit.ly/2L92yem">https://bit.ly/2L92yem</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-17594479490183564632019-05-22T15:16:00.000+08:002019-05-22T15:55:12.717+08:00The role of biodiversity in human health <br />
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">The United Nations has marked May 22
as </span><a href="https://www.cbd.int/idb/" style="font-size: 13pt;" target="_blank">The International Day for Biological Diversity</a><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> to raise awareness and
understanding of biodiversity issues. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">This year's theme, "Our
Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health," focuses on the invaluable role of
biological diversity in human health and well-being. We can show our appreciation for the resources nature provides us every day by truly understanding (or simply reminding ourselves) where we get
our resources for good health—the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we
breathe</span><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;">. </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">By doing so, we are putting first the species and the ecosystems that keep our health in check and make our lives worthwhile. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">We can be a catalyst of change in small ways, be it by buying
local food or using recyclable bags.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Here in SeaLifeBase, we celebrate marine biodiversity, from foraminiferans to cetaceans, from which we depend a
lot for our health and well-being. If you're keen to learn more, visit us <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-51270329282820614352019-04-29T15:10:00.000+08:002019-11-27T10:23:54.202+08:00Q-quatics welcomes its new researchers!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Two new
fresh graduates, Selina De Leon and Fayte Sicnawa, jump on board the Q-quatics
team last April 1. They have since been involved in the identification of
fishes in partnership with the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype>
of <st1:placename w:st="on">Western Australia</st1:placename></st1:place> and
the carry forward of global fisheries catch reconstructions led by the <a href="http://www.seaaroundus.org/">Sea Around Us</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Selina De
Leon, a BS Biology graduate, hails from the University of the Philippines
Diliman. She took up courses on marine sciences, ichthyology, ecology,
biodiversity, and conservation. Selina’s fascination for the ocean started when
she saw the iconic BBC documentary series <i>Blue Planet</i>. That made her want
to study marine life and experience it up close. Last Aril 2018, she
volunteered for the humpback whale research expedition (<a href="http://balyena.org/">Balyena.org</a>) in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Camiguin</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
Calayan, Cagayan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sicnawa, a member of the Indigenous People of Kalinga, studied BS Biology major
in Wildlife Biology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Upon
graduation, she went on to teach Chemistry, Biology and Environmental Science
at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Trace</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">College</st1:placetype></st1:place> for a year. As a wildlife
biologist, she’s aware of the decline in the sheer biodiversity of species in
the country. She therefore feels strongly about the need for their conservation. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">She
believes that the training she'll get in Q-quatics would leverage this passion. Today, she’s pursuing a master’s degree in Wildlife Biology.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Welcome
aboard, Selena and Fayte!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-6874144917525500962019-03-20T12:26:00.000+08:002019-03-20T15:48:17.493+08:00Creature feature: Meet the dumbo octopus<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration by Maxeen Bayer based on the Disney character Dumbo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Deep in the ocean floor lives an octopus, its common name derived from the Disney character <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbo" target="_blank">Dumbo</a> who can fly with its big ears. Just as the sky is for the endearing elephant, the dumbo octopus hails from the deep, steering the waters by flapping</span><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> its ear-like fins [1].</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">To date, there are 21 known species of dumbo octopus (<i><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/Nomenclature/ScientificNameSearchList.php?crit1_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynGenus&crit1_fieldtype=CHAR&crit1_operator=EQUAL&crit1_value=Grimpoteuthis&crit2_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynSpecies&crit2_fieldtype=CHAR&crit2_operator=contains&crit2_value=&group=summary&backstep=-2" target="_blank">Grimpoteuthis</a></i>) [2]. Being bathypelagic animals, they live 13,000 feet below water (or almost 4000 m) and are rarely seen in shallow waters. They live in tropical to temperate latitudes and have been observed in New Zealand, California, Oregon, Philippines, and in other areas [3].<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Dumbo octopus comes in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Its average size is 20 to 30 cm (7.9 to 12 inches) in length and its mantle, either U- or V-shaped. Like other families of octopi, their tentacles are umbrella-shaped, characterized by webbing between their tentacles, which help them navigate while swimming and crawling on the surface. Their ear-like lateral fins also help them propel around the water [4].<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Grimpoteuthis</span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> has large eyes, about a third the diameter of their head, but it has limited use in the eternal darkness of the deep oceans. However, to defend itself against predators, it uses its ability to change color and camouflage against the ocean floor. When it camouflages, the ears emit a different color than the rest of its body [4].<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">They are carnivorous, eating isopods, amphipods, bristle worms and more. Their mouth is different from their kin, engulfing their prey rather than grinding and ripping [1].<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The male octopus has a special protuberance in one of its 8 tentacles used to deliver the sperm to a female octopus, which the octopus stores until conditions are favorable for laying eggs on shells or small rocks on the seafloor. Young dumbo octopi are large when they are born and must survive on their own. They can live for 3 to 5 years [1].<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Very little is known about these creatures. If you have more information on dumbo octopus, <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a> welcomes collaboration. Kindly send us a message at sealifebase(at)q-quatics(dot)org.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">Written by Maxeen Danielle Bayer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">[1] Helmenstine, A.M. (2018, April 24). All about <i>Grimpoteuthis</i>, the dumbo octopus. <i>ThoughtCo. </i>Retrieved from <u1:p></u1:p>https://bit.ly/2W3CUtP</span><u2:p></u2:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">[2] WoRMS Editorial Board (2019). World Register of Marine Species. Available from http://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ. Accessed 2019-03-15. doi.10.14284/170</span><u2:p></u2:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">[3] Oceana. Cephalopods, crustaceans and other shellfish: dumbo octopus. Retrieved from <u1:p></u1:p>https://bit.ly/2Jfo2qM</span><u2:p></u2:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">[4] Ocean Conservancy (2018, October 8). Everything you need to know about the dumbo octopus. Retrieved from <u1:p></u1:p>https://bit.ly/2OAYNBg</span><u2:p></u2:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">[5] National Geographic (2018, October 29). Rare dumbo octopus shows off for deep-sea submersible. <i>YouTube</i>. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2u9gcEP</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-89091442227832998132019-03-04T15:39:00.004+08:002019-03-05T11:17:41.698+08:00World Wildlife Day 2019 celebrates marine life<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/news/2018/focusing-on-marine-species-for-the-first-time--the-next-world-wi.html" target="_blank">UNDP</a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/news/2018/focusing-on-marine-species-for-the-first-time--the-next-world-wi.html" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 13pt;" target="_blank">United Nations World Wildlife Day</a><span style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 13pt;"> has been celebrating the sheer diversity of plants and animals for six years now by raising awareness on the threats they're facing through a series of events across the globe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Inspired by UN's 14th Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs)—life below water—this year marks the first ever World Wildlife Day to celebrate the huge importance of marine life in our everyday lives. It also commemorates the establishment of <a href="https://www.cites.org/" target="_blank">CITES</a> (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), a treaty which underscores the protection of all endangered plants and animals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">This event gives the opportunity to highlight critical issues faced by marine life, commend successful initiatives for their conservation and scale up future endeavors towards sustaining them for future generations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">One of the major concerns that this campaign addresses is plastic pollution, in which 57 countries have already vowed to reduce their use of single-use and non-recoverable plastics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;">It's a step further to know more about the marine species we need to protect. And SeaLifeBase hosts this information. If you're keen to dive deep into the <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/Country/CountryChecklist.php?c_code=608&vhabitat=threatened" target="_blank">threatened non-fish marine species</a> in the Philippines (and around the world), you may visit <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a>.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-5959664938573577832019-02-22T10:14:00.000+08:002019-02-22T10:15:39.518+08:00Who's Got Jellies in their Gut?<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Gelatinous zooplankton, loosely termed as jellyfish, can be found throughout world’s oceans, known to cause large blooms. This group includes scyphozoan jellyfish, siphonophores, ctenophores, salps, pyrosomes, and appendicularians [1]. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">If we were asked who dines on these jellies, w</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">e might reserve the term ‘belly-full-of jelly’ to charismatic sea turtles (</span><i style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13pt;"><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Dermochelys-coriacea.html" target="_blank">Dermochelys coriacea</a>, <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Chelonia-mydas.html" target="_blank">Chelonia mydas</a></i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">) and the ocean sunfish (</span><i style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13pt;"><a href="https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Mola-mola.html" target="_blank">Mola mola</a></i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">). And it's indeed fitting since an adult leatherback turtle, for instance, ingests an average of 330-kg jellyfish wet mass per day or 73% of its body mass [1]. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">With</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 17.3333px;"> the rise of new technologies in recent years, however, this exclusivity is no longer true:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 17.3333px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">It turns out that not only such massive marine predators get a chunk of their diet from jellyfish. There’s a whole lot on the table, </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 17.3333px;">from birds to fishes to worms, </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">joining the feast [1]<i>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">New approaches to study the diet of marine animals such as stable isotope analyses or SIA (getting animal tissues to estimate trophic level), animal-borne cameras, remotely operated vehicles or ROVs, and DNA metabarcoding support the finding that a diverse range of marine predators feed on jellies, not incidentally but targeted [1]. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">SIA revealed that jellyfish forms a substantial part of the diet of bony fishes <i><a href="https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Chloroscombrus-chrysurus.html" target="_blank">Chloroscombrus chrysurus</a>, <a href="https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Thunnus-thynnus.html" target="_blank">Thunnus thynnus</a>, <a href="https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Euthynnus-alletteratus.html" target="_blank">Euthynnus alletteratus</a>, <a href="https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Tetrapturus-belone.html" target="_blank">Tetrapterus belone</a>, <a href="https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Xiphias-gladius.html" target="_blank">Xiphias gladius</a> </i>and the green sea turtle <i>Chelonia mydas</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Animal-borne cameras revealed 42.2% of prey capture for some species of penguins, consuming scyphozoans, salps and ctenophores [1]. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Metabarcoding showed that jellies make up 20% of food DNA sequences of the two species of albatross, ahead of crustaceans in terms of importance. Meanwhile, n</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">ext-generation sequencing showed that </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">the endangered European eel </span><st1:place style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 13pt;" w:st="on"><i><a href="https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Anguilla-anguilla.html" target="_blank">Anguilla</a></i></st1:place><i style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 13pt;"><a href="https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Anguilla-anguilla.html" target="_blank"> anguilla</a> </i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">has got </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">gelatinous zooplankton</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"> in its diet.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"> Seen through powerful ROVs, deep-sea octopus (</span><i style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 13pt;"><a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Haliphron-atlanticus.html" target="_blank">Haliphron atlanticus</a></i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">) and benthic animals, like echinoderms, crabs, shrimps, amphipods, sea anemones, and worms </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 17.3333px;">join the slew of jellyfish predators [1].</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hays <i>et al.</i> 2018 Figure 2A, showing a diverse group of predators worldwide feeding on jellyfish.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Overwhelming evidence of widespread jellyfish consumption throughout the world’s oceans means that jellyfish cannot be simply considered a bycatch, but targeted and opportunistically consumed by many marine predators. However, it's important to note that this shift may be influenced by changing ocean conditions [1]. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Also, knowing that a growing number of marine life now relies on jellyfish for nutrition signifies their susceptibility to harm, or even death, for mistaking plastic wastes for food [1]. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">These findings are important given that jellyfish holds a huge fraction of the pelagic biomass and have recently increased their abundance worldwide [3]. The study also challenges the common notion that undermines the energetic gain from jellyfish consumption, thus the need to better understand its dietary value [1].</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"><i>To know more about <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/ComNames/CommonNameSearchList.php" target="_blank">jellyfishes</a> and other gelatinous zooplankton, visit <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a>. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">[1] Hays, G. C., Doyle, T. K., & Houghton, J. D. (2018). A Paradigm Shift in the Trophic Importance of Jellyfish?. <i>Trends in Ecology & Evolution</i> 33(11):874-884. Retrieved from <a href="https://bit.ly/2DCvaY7">https://bit.ly/2DCvaY7</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">[2] Lewis, A. (2011, January 5). Leatherback turtle feeding. </span><i style="font-family: Calibri;">YouTube. </i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Retrieved from <a href="https://bit.ly/1vo1QO8">https://bit.ly/1vo1QO8</a></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-91449789932376798012019-02-15T09:00:00.000+08:002019-02-15T10:35:54.147+08:00Untangling the human-jellyfish connection<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">Last month's mini-symposium <i><a href="https://sealifebaseproject.blogspot.com/2019/02/q-quatics-holds-mini-symposium.html" target="_blank">Q-quatics 20</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;"><i><a href="https://sealifebaseproject.blogspot.com/2019/02/q-quatics-holds-mini-symposium.html" target="_blank">19: Road Ahead</a> </i>has been productive, providing a means for Q-quatics to communicate possibilities to execute its fisheries and oceans mandate through collaborations with the global scientific community.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">Many participants took an interest in the talk of <a href="http://oceans.ubc.ca/lucas-brotz/" target="_blank">Lucas Brotz</a>, j</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">ellyfish expert and Q-Quatics Cnidaria Scientist, as he shared the ever growing, inevitable relationship of humans and jellyfish today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">Based on a rigorous study Brotz led</span>, <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">j</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">ellyfish populations, indeed, have been increasing since 1950: out of the 45 large marine ecosystems (LMEs) analyzed, 62% showed increasing trends [1]. This brought with it changes that we are only now seeing</span><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">—</span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">more reports of children dying from box jellyfish stings [4], swarms of jellyfish regularly interrupting fishing activities [2], jellyfish responsible for massive power failure in Luzon [3], and jellyfish turning into snacks [4]. While the demand for jellyfish for food has increased, huge economic losses are incurred by many related industries [4].</span><br />
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Fig. 1. Map of population trends of native and invasive species of jellyfish by large marine ecosystem (LME) (Source: <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kristin_Kleisner/publication/256444302_Increasing_jellyfish_populations_Trends_in_Large_Marine_Ecosystems/links/0deec529ca264589da000000.pdf" target="_blank">Brotz et al. 2012</a>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A regular day for fishermen in Japan, clearing the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120405-blooming-jellyfish-problems" target="_blank">infestations of </a><i><a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120405-blooming-jellyfish-problems" target="_blank">Nomura</a> (</i>Copyright: Shin-ichi Uye, Hiroshima University<i>)</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">Counter-measures to control jellyfish populations have been done but with mixed results. A more apparent move, to exploit jellyfish as food, was seen as an opportunity to deter this global rise. However, as Brotz pointed out, eating our way out isn't the likely solution. Rather, </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">adaptation may be our best approach [4]. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">_________</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">Sources:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">[1] Brotz, L., Cheung, W. W., Kleisner, K., Pakhomov, E., & Pauly, D. (2012). Increasing jellyfish populations: trends in large marine ecosystems. In Jellyfish Blooms IV (pp. 3-20). Springer, </span><st1:place style="font-family: Calibri;" w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Dordrecht</st1:city></st1:place><span style="font-family: "calibri";">. Retrieved from <a href="https://bit.ly/2Ea4tvi">https://bit.ly/2Ea4tvi</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">[2] Vince, G. (2012, April 5). Jellyfish blooms creating oceans of slime. <i>BBC</i>. Retrieved from <a href="https://bbc.in/2hLG1Cc">https://bbc.in/2hLG1Cc</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">[3] BBC (1999, December 11). Jellyfish blamed for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> blackout. <i>BBC News</i>. Retrieved from <a href="https://bbc.in/2LHCIv2">https://bbc.in/2LHCIv2</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">[4] Brotz, L. (2019, January 31). Jellyfish and humans - the big picture. <i><a href="https://www.q-quatics.org/2019/02/11/q-quatics-2019-road-ahead/" target="_blank">Q-quatics 2019: road ahead symposium</a></i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-86534634857093127142019-02-12T13:11:00.003+08:002019-02-15T09:54:14.919+08:00Q-quatics is looking for a Research Assistant<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><i><a href="http://www.q-quatics.org/">Quantitative Aquatics, Inc.</a> is a non-stock, non-profit, non-governmental organization established in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> in February 2017. Q-quatics was created to support the assembly and dissemination of key data on living aquatic resources for the development of research tools in collaboration with international partners. As such, Q-quatics manages the global biodiversity information systems <a href="http://www.fishbase.org/">FishBase</a>, <a href="http://www.sealifebase.org/">SeaLifeBase</a>, and the global aquatic biogeography initiative, <a href="http://www.aquamaps.org/">AquaMaps</a>.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Quantitative Aquatics, Inc. seeks a Research Assistant to work in a project funded by the Minderoo Foundation Pty Ltd, in collaboration with the <a href="http://www.seaaroundus.org/">Sea Around Us </a>and the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Western Australia</st1:placename></st1:place>. </span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-25599029309013148582019-02-08T12:14:00.000+08:002019-02-14T09:59:46.056+08:00Q-quatics holds a mini-symposium<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.q-quatics.org/" target="_blank">Q-quatics</a> launches its year with a mini-symposium held at </span><st1:place style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 14pt;" w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">IRRI</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Training</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"> in Los Baños, Laguna last January 31. Local and international marine scientists shared emerging issues on fisheries: from (1) small-scale fisheries academy in Senegal, to (2) global assessment of exploited marine fisheries, to (3) a new analysis of global freshwater finfisheries, to (4) ballast water management</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">,</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"> to (5) </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">jellyfish-human relationship, to </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">(6) the use of global databases as identification tools, and (7) the FAO global record of stocks and fisheries. If you're keen to know more about the symposium, you may read Mundus maris piece <a href="https://www.mundusmaris.org/index.php/en/review/other/2175-qq-2019" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">Participants, both local and international</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 20.6667px;">—</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">UPLB, UP Diliman, BFAR-NFRDI, NAST, National Museum, Haribon Foundation, </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">RARE, ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, Amanpulo Resort, Oceana Philippines, Wetlands International and IRRI</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 20.6667px;">—</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">contributed to a lively and productive discussion.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.q-quatics.org/board-of-trustees/" target="_blank">Cornelia E. Nauen</a>, Q-Quatics Board of Trustee</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speakers: Top left to right: <a href="http://oceans.ubc.ca/maria-lourdes-deng-palomares/" target="_blank">Dr. Maria Lourdes Palomares</a>, <a href="https://fwcb.cfans.umn.edu/personnel/peter-sorensen" target="_blank">Dr. Peter Sorensen</a>, <a href="https://www.q-quatics.org/board-of-trustees/" target="_blank">Dr. Benjamin Vallejo Jr.</a>;<br />
Bottom left to right: <a href="http://oceans.ubc.ca/lucas-brotz/" target="_blank">Dr. Lucas Brotz</a>, <a href="https://www.q-quatics.org/staff/" target="_blank">Mr. Rodolfo Reyes Jr.</a> and <a href="https://www.q-quatics.org/staff/" target="_blank">Dr. Nicolas Bailly</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">This event became an avenue to conceive possible projects, form partnerships and strengthen existing ones with different organizations. These possibilities include the next steps inherent to the declaration of ASEAN being a "safe risk area" for international shipping, call for increased awareness in the importance of freshwater fisheries, conducting jellyfish population studies in the Philippines, and developing machine learning tools for fish identification.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-89239417274818990272018-11-05T11:56:00.000+08:002018-11-05T11:56:33.185+08:00Collaborator of the Month: Thomas Brey<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">For 25 years now, Dr. Thomas Brey has been a Senior Scientist at the<a href="https://www.awi.de/en.html" target="_blank"> Alfred Wegener Institut </a>(AWI), <st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:placename u1:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Helmholtz</st1:placename></st1:placename></st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:placetype u1:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:placetype></st1:placetype> for Polar and Marine Research (<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:city u1:st="on"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:city u1:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bremerhaven</st1:city></st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></st1:place>). Currently, he is also the Head of Biosciences Division and Deputy Head of the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity in Oldenburg. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Piqued by his interest in marine benthic invertebrates, he completed his PhD thesis, “The impact of physical and biological factors on structure and dynamics of the sublittoral <i>Macoma-</i>community in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:placename u1:st="on"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:placename u1:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Kiel</st1:placename></st1:place></st1:placename></st1:place></st1:placename></st1:place></st1:placename></st1:place></st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:placetype u1:st="on"><st1:placetype u1:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:placetype></st1:placetype></st1:placetype></st1:placetype></st1:place>,” from 1986 to 1988. He then started his post-doctoral fellowship at AWI in 1989, and, after heading several working groups, became the head of section “Functional Ecology” in 2009 [<a href="https://bit.ly/2SfPkxy" target="_blank">1</a>].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">His current research interest revolves around building geo-referenced marine ecological information systems, with focus on marine benthic invertebrates of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:placename u1:st="on"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:placename u1:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Polar</st1:placename></st1:place></st1:placename></st1:place></st1:placename></st1:place></st1:placename></st1:place></st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:placetype u1:st="on"><st1:placetype u1:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Seas</st1:placetype></st1:placetype></st1:placetype></st1:placetype></st1:placetype></st1:place>, climate change, population dynamics, trophic ecology, mollusk sclerochronology, and scientific management among others [<a href="https://bit.ly/2q8gTvM" target="_blank">2</a>,<a href="https://bit.ly/2z4wY9W" target="_blank">3</a>]. As of 2018, he has written over 190 publications and overseen 46 PhD theses, 38 MSc and Diploma theses, and 15 BA theses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Thomas Brey has been a <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a> collaborator since 2009 and has contributed population dynamics data, specifically substantial data on <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/Topic/List.php?group=36" target="_blank">mass conversion factors</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Early 2018,</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 17.3333px;">through a funding from the Alfred Wegener Institut, <a href="http://fishbase.org/search.php" target="_blank">FishBase</a> and SeaLifebase</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 17.3333px;">—</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">global biodiversity information systems on all marine fish and non-fish of the world</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 17.3333px;">—have started </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 17.3333px;">to improve</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"> the coverage of marine biodiversity of the </span><st1:place style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 13pt;" w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Polar</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Seas.</st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Led by Thomas Brey, t</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">he project started in January 2018 and, as of August 2018, around 892 references were used to assign fish and other marine metazoans. With the teams' effort and support from collaborators, 7,025 species have been documented in the region and made available through FishBase and SealifeBase: 497 bony fishes, 21 sharks, 199 vertebrates, at least 6186 invertebrates, and 78 plants. This has been a good start, since, to date, more than 8,000 marine species have been estimated in Polar Seas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">[1] Alfred Wegener Institut. Retrieved from <o:p></o:p>https://bit.ly/2SfPkxy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">[2] ResearchGate. Retrieved from <o:p></o:p>https://bit.ly/2q8gTvM<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">[3] Google Scholar. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2z4wY9W<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-57443855135293562552018-10-25T17:23:00.000+08:002018-10-26T12:51:22.908+08:00This is Why We Celebrate Our Reefs<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">Arthur's Rock, Mabini, Batangas (Photo by <a href="http://www.seaaroundus.org/deng-palomares/" target="_blank">Maria Lourdes Palomares</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">This year, 2018, marks the third celebration of the</span><b style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 13pt;"> International Year of the Reef</b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"> (</span><a href="https://www.iyor2018.org/" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 17.3333px;" target="_blank">IYOR</a><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">). It was first conceived in 1997 by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) to address the rising threats to our coral reefs and its associated ecosystems—mangroves and seagrass beds. Because caring for our coral reefs becomes ever more critical today, this celebration aims to inspire people to come together and help improve the conditions of our reefs for the long-term.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">But first, what actually is a <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/ComNames/CommonNameSearchList.php" target="_blank">coral</a>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">IN SHORT, THEY'RE ‘FLOWER’ ANIMALS</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">For centuries, taxonomists have been baffled about corals. Yes, they’re like plants—immobile, photosynthetic, home to many creatures. In contrast, like animals, they can be insidious: to capture a nearby prey, they fire their toxic nematocysts from their stinging cells (cnidocytes). Quite a character, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Thankfully, with the invention of the microscope, corals have landed their spot: they are clearly animals, but "flower animals" to be exact [2].<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">Photo by </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.seaaroundus.org/deng-palomares/" target="_blank">Maria Lourdes Palomares</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">A LONG-STANDING CONNECTION</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">What makes corals as we know them today? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">What clads them with hunting colors?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">And what enables them to build colonies underwater?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">It's the zooxanthellae. They're single-celled dinoflagellates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Zooxanthellae and corals are inextricably linked to one another. These symbiotic algae live within the corals’ tiny polyps, channeling almost 90% of the food it makes—glucose and amino acids—which enables the growth of </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">calcium-laden structures [6]</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">. Specifically, these reef-building corals (Scleractinia) need light and thus restricted to shallow sunlit waters. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">However, not all Scleractinia have zooxanthellae. In fact, half of all Scleractinia do not have symbiotic algae (azooxanthellate species) and thus are not limited by light, temperature and depth. This eases competition for space, allowing them to live in different ocean depths, relying on plankton for food [7].</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">So we know now that zooxanthellae breathe life to reef-building corals, while corals provide a home to the algae. It's a partnership that has long stood time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">And why is this partnership so special, especially now? A recent study reveals this relationship dates back to 160 M years ago, during Middle Jurassic, well before the days that wiped out dinosaurs. This is particularly interesting to scientists because it opens possibilities on the coral algae's resilience against rising temperatures [4].<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">BUT THEY'RE UNDER THREAT</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">The Earth has warmed 1°C since the 19<sup>th</sup> century. Although it sounds no big deal, even half a degree increase in global temperature is a step away from coral mass mortality (what we experience today) to a world where corals become 'rare' [5].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">When corals experience stress from severe pollution, increased temperatures and acidic waters, they excrete their algae, their very life, and thus become bleached [2]. This wildly impacts marine life, which highly depends on these ecosystems for food, shelter, and breeding [3]. On the bright side, there are more tools available now to increase public awareness on coral bleaching. A great tool, <a href="https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/product/5km/index_5km_baa_max_r07d.php" target="_blank">NOAA Coral Reef Watch</a> uses a daily global 5km satellite (based on sea surface temperature monitoring) to depict areas where coral bleaching heat stress currently reaches various levels. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 17.3333px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">BEYOND ECONOMIC VALUE</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), healthy reefs and other ecosystem services amount to more than $29.8 B yearly. But beyond the huge economic value we get from reefs—food security, coastal protection, tourism, medicines, among countless benefits—the presence of corals reminds us that there is so much in nature that's difficult to put a value on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Reefs are too precious. They leave us in awe. A world without them is just difficult to imagine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Conservation International produced a great film series called <i style="font-size: 17.3333px;"><a href="https://www.conservation.org/nature-is-speaking/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Nature Is Speaking</a></i>, where known figures literally embody the Earth.<i style="font-size: 17.3333px;"> </i>In the video below, Ian Somerhalder is the CORAL REEF. And he's not just a rock. He does way more than we could imagine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">WHAT CAN WE DO?</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Protecting our oceans can be a lot to take in and these days we can be easily flooded with reminders to do our part as ocean stewards. Sure, incredible movements spur here and there and they’re truly commendable. But how can we, as ordinary citizens, not only contribute this year but also commit long-term?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">Luckily, there’s a number of small things we can do—things that we're probably doing now—which we can improve upon and anchor to a more meaningful purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">One way is to reduce our plastic use by bringing our own recyclable shopping bags. We can also participate in coastal clean-ups. It might also be a good idea to make our time online worth it by creating and sharing meaningful content. Nowadays, if we're keen to put our curiosity to good use, we can become a <a href="https://www.virtualreef.org.au/" target="_blank">citizen scientist</a> and participate in real data gathering. We can also know more about <a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/ComNames/CommonNameSearchList.php" target="_blank">corals</a> online—<a href="https://www.sealifebase.ca/" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 13pt; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a>, a database of all non-fish species in the world, can be a good place to start. Happy learning!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">[1] International Year of the Reef. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2qkNjGi<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">[2] Amorina, K. 1 Sep 2016. Coral, Explained. <i>Hakai Magazine</i>. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2Aoq5T0<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">[3] Murali. 16 Sep 2018. Why Coral Reefs are Important for Earth. <i>City Today</i>. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2ERfS5R<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">[4] Halton, M. 10 Aug 2018. Coral Reefs 'Weathered Dinosaur Extinction." <i>BBC News</i>. Retrieved from https://bbc.in/2Pcg2Zp<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">[5] Plumer and Popovich N. 7 Oct 2018. Why Half a Degree of Global Warming is a Big Deal. <i>The New York Times</i>. Retrieved from https://nyti.ms/2QPjRAR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">[6] NOAA. Corals. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2ReIlUl<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">[7] Veron, JEN. 2000. Corals of the World, Vol. 1,2,3. Australian Institute of Marine Science.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-46407035148179507172018-07-05T16:33:00.000+08:002018-07-06T11:44:44.119+08:00The Big Life In Between Grains<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MGFKxH-lUc8QmIA_qY-R4GWgWWBGn7rjqKgVqi_fdEhjFfWYaIsLW1IM9M6ndkovx79MnEc2-dGczl8mm72Am0_LBkcfqanPdWm3fuZRXSRSEGv7uCIm3Nah76oT4m8ewSktTTSbCco2/s1600/Sandy-Shores-of-the-Galapagos-700x465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="700" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MGFKxH-lUc8QmIA_qY-R4GWgWWBGn7rjqKgVqi_fdEhjFfWYaIsLW1IM9M6ndkovx79MnEc2-dGczl8mm72Am0_LBkcfqanPdWm3fuZRXSRSEGv7uCIm3Nah76oT4m8ewSktTTSbCco2/s640/Sandy-Shores-of-the-Galapagos-700x465.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="http://www.entouriste.com/galapagos-wildlife/sandy-shores-of-the-galapagos/" target="_blank">Entouriste</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">Let's imagine ourselves walking along the shore, adoring this stretch of white sand.<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><br />What do you see? Apparently, it's too tricky to tell. <u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">Only if we find ourselves curious and play with the sand for a bit we'll be able to spot some critters. There could be hermit crabs trotting along, worms making tunnels, and seaweeds washing ashore. Or there could be a seabird waiting for its meal.<span style="background: white;"> <u1:p></u1:p></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><br />But for the most part, life on the shore seems quiet and empty.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">Now, if we change the scenery and make a visit to a busy thriving forest, how would our "lifeless" beach compare?<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><br />As anyone who's been in a forest, it's easy to tell the animals are <i>there. </i>We can tell there are cicadas, birds, earthworms, a variety of plants, and fascinating insects we don't know about. We know it's alive from the cacophony of sounds and colors.<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">In fact, Professor E.O. Wilson remarks that, when we put a cap on all the living terrestrial groups, only seven different phyla exist in the woods [1].<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">But when we drench our feet in sand and foam, it's a different story...<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple;">“The surf may at first seem lifeless, composed of water and soil and washed clean. The opposite is true … among the grains of sand in the surf zone, you will in time find twice the number of phyla." -<i>E.O. Wilson</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">The beach, in fact, holds 14 different phyla against the seven in the forests. Professor Wilson talks about diversity here, not population in numbers [1].<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">Who knew that the sand alone hosts an impressive universe of little, wriggling creatures down our feet? <u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">The Interstitial Breathes<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">These invisible organisms breathing in between grains are called <b>meiofauna</b> (smaller than 1 mm but larger than about 45 microns), and they comprise as <st1:city u2:st="on"><st1:place u2:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Wilson</st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city> calls the "little-known planet." <u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><br />Purely meiofaunal organisms alone make up five out of the 34 recognized phyla in the animal kingdom. They are literally a thriving empire of organisms</span><i><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.0pt;">—</span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">one footprint of moist sand carries as big as 50,000 to 100,000 individuals [2].<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">These meiofauna</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: noto_serif_devanagari, "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.0pt;">—</span></em><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">gastrotrichs, kinorhynchs, gnathostomulids, loriciferans, nematodes, priapulids, rotifers, tardigrades</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: noto_serif_devanagari, "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.0pt;">—</span></em><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.0pt;">are easy to overlook but they're </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">actually there, clinging for life, clad with smart adaptations suitable for a life in the interstitial.<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">They're small but they boast complex physiology comparable to the relatively huge macrofauna. They have also developed an array of adaptations to their ever-shifting habitats: Tardigrades (water bears) have claws and suction in their toes to grip on grains; kinorhynchs use their spine-bearing mouth to hook into sand or mud; free-living nematodes possess slender bodies, easing in between grains and use thread-like setae to hold on to their substrate; gastrotrichs are known to hang too tight to their substrate with a strong adhesive.<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><br />Check out this creative and interactive <a href="https://www.hakaimagazine.com/infographic/life-interstitial" target="_blank">infographic</a> (Hakai Magazine) of some meiofauna and the challenges they face in their big world [3].</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSTNTvpMg6N6_tP-Uw27NvJP2xUd30tfqw4HDb8hM_pg5ZbVOY-pW_vNY8yQJmR9orHrHXtEQ291Zi3dl6y-pc73hG3dO6WrUbwDM3JFuQVjG-QAwx9cO-OodEgGH22bWOvEMZUkuzM9Y/s1600/gastrotrych-meiofauna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="670" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSTNTvpMg6N6_tP-Uw27NvJP2xUd30tfqw4HDb8hM_pg5ZbVOY-pW_vNY8yQJmR9orHrHXtEQ291Zi3dl6y-pc73hG3dO6WrUbwDM3JFuQVjG-QAwx9cO-OodEgGH22bWOvEMZUkuzM9Y/s640/gastrotrych-meiofauna.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of a gastrotrich (<a href="https://www.hakaimagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_custom_user_multi_column_3x/public/gastrotrych-meiofauna.jpg?itok=95nYezls" target="_blank">David Scharf/Corbis</a>, Hakai Magazine)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">The Beach We Came to Know</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">Meiofauna bridge important links in benthic food webs. Aside from serving as important food to many organisms, they are</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;"> key </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">decomposers which </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">feed and break down detritus, </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">thus keeping microbial communities active and enhancing nutrient recycling. Through </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">bioturbation and burrow construction (plus their sheer number) they render stability to </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">our</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;"> benthic ecosystems </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;">and shape them as</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18.6667px;"> we have them today [5].</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">Ultimately, these make them the very life of the beach: without meiofauna, our beach is but a mire of untouched, organic debris [2].</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">A clear grasp of their number and diversity, though, remains to be seen. <st1:city u2:st="on"><st1:place u2:st="on"><st1:city style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 14pt;" w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Wilson</st1:place></st1:city></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city> says we haven't even come close to documenting all of them; there's just a lot to learn and new worlds to discover [1]. And new ways of seeing things, too. <u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;"><br />The next time we go the beach and grab a fistful of sand, we know we're not alone</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: noto_serif_devanagari, "open sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.0pt;">—</span></em><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt;">a multitude of organisms keep us company, living their big lives in between grains. <u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13pt;">If you have more information on meiofauna and other non-fish organisms, we'll be happy to have you as one of <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a> <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/Collaborators/CollaboratorsTopicList.php" target="_blank">collaborators</a>. Let us know by sending us an <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/home/contact_us.php" target="_blank">email</a> or visiting our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheSeaLifeBaseProject/" target="_blank">FaceBook page</a>.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">[1] Krulwich, R. (2016, March 3). An empty beach isn't empty at all. <i>National Geographic</i>. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1Umi4SB<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">[2] Mason, A. (2016, March 21). The micro monsters beneath your beach blanket. <i>Hakai Magazine.</i> Retrieved from <o:p></o:p>http://bit.ly/2vi5aPL<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">[3] Mason, A., Garrison, M. & Kingdon, A. (2017, April 28). Life interstitial. <i>Hakai Magazine</i>. <o:p></o:p>http://bit.ly/2w5DLxW<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">[4] </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Gerlach, S. A. (1978). Food-chain relationships in subtidal silty sand marine sediments and the role of meiofauna in stimulating bacterial productivity. <i>Oecologia</i>, <i>33</i>(1), 55-69.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">[5] Schratzberger, M. & Ingels, J. Meiofauna matters: the roles of meiofauna in benthic ecosystems. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2KP4hCz</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02777976539374330896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-67816602845094899462018-06-05T15:25:00.002+08:002018-06-05T15:25:41.148+08:00Symbiosis special: What makes the Hawaiian bobtail squid glow?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="https://montereybayaquarium.tumblr.com/post/158783266393/nubbsgalore-despite-its-colourful-appearance" target="_blank">Todd Bretl, Monterey Bay Aquarium</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">As adorable as the endemic Hawaiian bobtail squid <a href="https://sealifebase.ca/summary/Euprymna-scolopes.html" target="_blank"><i>Euprymna </i>scolopes </a>can be, its famed relationship with a microbe<i> </i>is even more special: among thousands of marine bacteria, only one microbe, <i style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13pt;">Vibrio fischeri, </i>is known to successfully colonize the squid's light organ within its mantle, turning the squid into an enchanting and 'disappearing' luminescent creature [1-4,8]. <u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Few hours after the hatchlings are out from their egg case, <i>V. fischeri </i>from the surrounding water begin to enter the pores on either side of the light organ, settling on the epithelium-lined inner crypt spaces (tiny spaces within the organ) [1,2,5].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Specificity is achieved early on through a mutual dialogue between the young host and the symbiont (i.e., agreement on entry and attachment of the microbe). Once the microbes have established, this transformation triggers a series of biological changes in both organisms, strengthening their relationship [7].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Now, the squid matures, and</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18px;"> as if charging a weapon for the night,</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <i>V. fishceri </i>reaches its highest concentration in the light organ. And the squid shines its brightest [2,6].</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">While the squid hunts for prey, the microbes perfectly match the intensity of the moonlight welling down from above, reducing the squid's </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">silhouette, ultimately giving it an 'invisibility cloak' (counter-illumination) against predators seeing from below [5,8]. What's more interesting is that the host is equipped not only to detect but to also control the amount of light emitted by the bacteria through its specialized light organ features [5]. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Here's a video from Ed Yong (The Atlantic), illustrating this fascinating partnership.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">As the dawn breaks, it secretes from its light organ a thick mucous containing 95% of its symbionts back into the sea, while the rest of the microbes replenish themselves to start another cycle [2,6]. Over the rest of the day, the squid becomes dormant and retreats into the sand [6].</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">For over 20 years, this squid-vibrio relationship has been key in studying many biological phenomena, like cephalopod development and the structure of tissue interacting with light [6]; this one-on-one connection has also been crucial in understanding host-microbe interactions in a natural microenvironment [1,2]. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Beyond this, the squid-vibrio partnership is important, because, it turns out, the microbe 'remakes'</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> and protects its host: reaching the adult state is only possible when the squid harbors the right microbial ally [8]. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">And, charmingly, the squid need not look further.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">To know more about <a href="https://sealifebase.ca/ComNames/CommonNameSearchList.php" target="_blank">bobtail squids</a>, visit SeaLifeBase.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">[1] Rader, B. A., & Nyholm, S. V. (2012). Host/microbe interactions revealed through “omics” in the symbiosis between the Hawaiian bobtail squid <i>Euprymna scolopes</i> and the bioluminescent bacterium <i>Vibrio fischeri</i>. <i>The Biological Bulletin, 223</i>(1), 103-111.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">[2] Schleicher, T. R., & Nyholm, S. V. (2011). Characterizing the host and symbiont proteomes in the association between the Bobtail squid, <i>Euprymna scolopes</i>, and the bacterium, <i>Vibrio fischeri</i>. <i>PLoS One, 6</i>(10), e25649.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">[3] Boettcher, K. J., & Ruby, E. G. (1990). Depressed light emission by symbiotic Vibrio fischeri of the sepiolid squid <i>Euprymna scolopes</i>. <i>Journal of Bacteriology, 172</i>(7), 3701-3706.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">[4] Yazzie, N., Salazar, K. A., & Castillo, M. G. (2015). Identification, molecular characterization, and gene expression analysis of a CD109 molecule in the Hawaiian bobtail squid <i>Euprymna scolopes</i>. <i>Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 44</i>(1), 342-355.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">[5] Peyer, S. M., Pankey, M. S., Oakley, T. H., & McFall-Ngai, M. J. (2014). Eye-specification genes in the bacterial light organ of the bobtail squid <i>Euprymna scolopes</i>, and their expression in response to symbiont cues. <i>Mechanisms of Development, 131</i>, 111-126.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">[6] McFall-Ngai, M. (2014). Divining the essence of symbiosis: insights from the squid-vibrio model. <i>PLoS Biology, 12</i>(2), e1001783.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">[7] Visick, K. L., & McFall-Ngai, M. J. (2000). An exclusive contract: specificity in the <i>Vibrio fischeri-Euprymna scolopes </i>partnership.<i> Journal of Bacteriology, 182</i>(7), 1779-1787.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">[8] Yong, E. (26, Jan 2018). The lovely tale of an adorable squid and its glowing partner. <i>The <st1:place w:st="on">Atlantic</st1:place></i>. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/01/the-lovely-tale-of-an-adorable-squid-and-its-glowing-partner/551549/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-15846450139672907452018-04-05T17:00:00.001+08:002018-04-05T17:10:52.222+08:00FishBase and SeaLifeBase sign MoU with World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS)<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />Databases are rich sources of information, serving not only as learning tools,
but a means toward fruitful collaborations and a catapult in advancing
scientific research.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">This has been the very aim when World Register of Marine Species (<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city u2:st="on"><st1:place u2:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><a href="http://www.marinespecies.org/index.php">WoRMS</a></st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city>),
<a href="http://www.fishbase.org/">FishBase</a>, and <a href="http://www.sealifebase.org/">SeaLifeBase</a> have officially formed a collaboration last March 2018 to best serve the scientific community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">Last September 2017, the WoRMS Data Management Team attended the
15<sup>th</sup> International FishBase Symposium in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place u2:st="on"><st1:city u2:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Tervuren</st1:city></st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:country-region u2:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Belgium</st1:country-region></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></st1:place>.
The meeting focused on <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city u2:st="on"><st1:place u2:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">WoRMS</st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city>’
underlying database Aphia and its potential use in global, regional and
thematic registers, along with LifeWatch Taxonomic Backbone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">The team discussed the existing collaboration between FishBase and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:city u2:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">WoRMS</st1:city></st1:city></st1:city>,
wherein FishBase
has served as the taxonomic resource for fish names in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:city u2:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">WoRMS</st1:city></st1:city></st1:city>. Building on the ties that have strengthened both
databases, the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city u2:st="on"><st1:place u2:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">WoRMS</st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city> team
expressed their intention to also document in their database the fish distributions
and traits from FishBase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">During the consortium meeting, the team has also seen the potential of
FishBase's sister-database, SeaLifeBase—a joint project of the <i>Sea
Around Us </i>(<st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">British Columbia</st1:placename>, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Vancouver</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region></st1:place>)
and the FishBase Consortium—in providing biological
and ecological information of global non-fish species, which can then be
maximized for biodiversity and ecosystem studies. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city style="font-size: 14pt;" u2:st="on"><st1:place u2:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">WoRMS</st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city>,
in turn, would provide its taxonomic backbone to SeaLifeBase. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">Related links:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">http://www.marinespecies.org/news.php?p=show&id=5335</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">http://www.lifewatch.be/en/news?p=show&id=5335</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marinespecies.org%2Fdocuments%2FMoUs%2FMoU_WoRMS_Q-quatics_(FB_SLB)_2018.pdf">WoRMS-Q-quatics MOU</a></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02777976539374330896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-4086972426134228492018-04-05T11:10:00.002+08:002018-04-05T11:10:51.028+08:00SeaLifeBase is on the lookout for a Research Assistant<div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Quantitative Aquatics, Inc. is hiring
a <i><b>Research Assistant I</b> </i>for <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a>, a database documenting all marine non-fish species of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Kindly see below the details for your
reference. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.q-quatics.org/2018/04/04/job-opening-1-research-assistant-for-sealifebase/"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="972" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDkQizziOSlHtURRo4T37m6JUL6dpN2l369hGHpIm7uleNmeKfxJdfQX8FzyelrYXTvbeLpSqb7rHTUgKmd82LMFCO5HxuHgGGr0_I4fJ03DxM4fe0HNVo9NSB57AqxcWh-98eK5uRGln/s640/PositionAnnouncement_RA1a.jpg" width="388" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02777976539374330896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-19150195120441867952017-09-13T18:46:00.000+08:002017-09-13T18:46:03.391+08:00Collaborator of the Month: Dr. Charlie (J.E.N) Veron<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">If you have worked on corals and coral reefs, then you're probably well acquainted with the most comprehensive resource for corals there is, the 3-volume Corals of The World by John Edward Norwood Veron or as cited in the scientific community, J.E.N or Charlie Veron. Can you imagine your life without such a valuable resource? The thing is, Charlie Veron almost did not become a scientist. </span><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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He is known today as the "Godfather of Coral" and likened by David
Attenborough to Charles Darwin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In his memoir <i><a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/a-life-underwater-9780143785460">A Life Underwater</a>,</i> Charlie chronicles his love for marine life as a
child, his long holdup (how he almost didn't make it back to the sea), how one
chance helped him pursue his true passion, and how he became a revolutionary
self-taught coral specialist.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">His work has been instrumental
in our present understanding of coral reefs, from how they reproduce to how
they evolve, and how they, in the light of climate change, have been
dying. <span style="background: white; color: #1d1d1d;">"Without
his early work we wouldn't have had the basic benchmarks to see the nature of
the changes that we are now seeing. He provided that baseline to put everything
in context," says the scientist Tim Flannery [1].</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Veron's contributions to coral
reefs and marine biology are monumental. He was the first to compile a global
taxonomy on corals. Also, contrary to common notion, he shed light that the the
Indo-Philippines archipelago has the most diverse corals in the world, not the <st1:place w:st="on">Great Barrier Reef</st1:place>. He is also known for his seminal
theory, Reticulate evolution, on how corals have evolved [1]. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To date, he he
has worked on all the major coral reef regions of the world and has over 100
research publications, including 12 books and monographs on corals and coral
reefs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Among his many books, his three-volume Corals of the World (2000), with his permission to use data and photos, has been invaluable to documenting the diversity of reef-building corals in SealifeBase. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over his 50-year career, Veron hasn't only been an insatiable
learner of corals. He's been fearless in protecting the marine life he has reveled in
his whole life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In his memoir, his adventures urge us not only to guard scholarly
independence, but more importantly to learn to be persistent and take risks. He
explains why today is the most pivotal time to protect our incredible marine
life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You may purchase Charlie's delightful memoir <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/a-life-underwater-9780143785460">through this link</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">[1] Elliott, T.
(2017, July 14). Live near the beach? Coral reef expert Charlie Veron has some
advice for you. <i>The Age.</i> Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2vFfOMo<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02777976539374330896noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-77164243703152886042017-09-04T09:00:00.000+08:002017-09-04T15:13:46.278+08:00Salute to the Gladiators of the Sea<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Karla, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCS8WkAojPH25yT5VZaHkfvGFy9zsaTGy-kZUYv34oFtHZLQVC9KPRrlv5aKEnlXeBRof0JvJ6HY9_EGd_ThvThsBbFD-Vu8VfAuPhPjFhUHsHZ58IDrrPWLFFYVYFRviUSVhio9MO_y0U/s1600/Lipol_u1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCS8WkAojPH25yT5VZaHkfvGFy9zsaTGy-kZUYv34oFtHZLQVC9KPRrlv5aKEnlXeBRof0JvJ6HY9_EGd_ThvThsBbFD-Vu8VfAuPhPjFhUHsHZ58IDrrPWLFFYVYFRviUSVhio9MO_y0U/s640/Lipol_u1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Have you been vaccinated recently? Took medicine without any mishaps?</div>
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The merit goes to our clanky fellow—the horseshoe crab <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(<a href="http://sealifebase.ca/summary/Limulus-polyphemus.html" target="_blank">Limulus</a></em><a href="http://sealifebase.ca/summary/Limulus-polyphemus.html" target="_blank"> <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">polyphemus</em></a>)<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">—</em><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">for</span> its precious blue blood.</div>
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Nope, they are not royalty, their blood is literally blue—it contains hemocyanin, a copper-based molecule carrying copper [1,2] which, when oxidized, turns bluish-green [1,3]. Meanwhile, our blood uses hemoglobin which carries oxygen (has iron in it), thus the reddish hue [1,3].</div>
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These ‘crabs’ are not true crabs, not even crustaceans [2,3]. In fact, they are under the subphylum Chelicerata [3,7], more akin to scorpions and spiders than they are to crabs [2,7]. They boast 10 eyes: large compound eyes, in particular, aid in locating a mate [3,4]. Their tails may look like a scathing weapon against predators; in fact, they use it to propel in different directions [3,4], or to flip them right up when capsized [2,3].</div>
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Thousands of these ‘living fossils’ form throngs in Delaware Bay every May and June, ready to mate. A female can release as much as 90,000 eggs per clutch but only around 10 are deemed to reach adulthood [3].</div>
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Horseshoe crabs are fine, robust, armor-clad creatures, as the paleontologist Richard Fortney remarked [1]. Time has been their ally, predating the dinosaurs for more than 200 million years [2,7]. A big hole on the head, a lump on the thorax, or a cracked tail spike did not obliterate these 450-million-year old ‘gundams.’ [1,4].</div>
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What helps them become almost invincible?</div>
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When a horseshoe crab gets wounded, its blood instantly releases an army of blood-clotting granules which seal the invading bacteria, preventing further infection [1]— the same, humbling reason, why we get to be safely injected with vaccines for four decades now [3].</div>
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Today, their blood is extensively used to test products, intravenous drugs and medical devices that come into contact with blood. Essentially, its active ingredient is a sentinel against “negative” bacteria, which is confirmed present if the cells clot in contact with a product [1,2,4,5]. Suffice it to say, horseshoe crabs have been saving millions of lives from unsanitary injections [3].</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiS7swxp2x-7I2GpErb7f2cKD8rSubrsvZP_XkGqIZxUp0INVTQldSRmA8FbmWaMyfVGizNVJetFvMrKB9CIPL1U9whnuwdkBUS3shxHYyy_wLs3dLKxc0OgSuiiVj5MuULpiOHSrEWqe/s1600/gallery-1492017783-h-crab+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiS7swxp2x-7I2GpErb7f2cKD8rSubrsvZP_XkGqIZxUp0INVTQldSRmA8FbmWaMyfVGizNVJetFvMrKB9CIPL1U9whnuwdkBUS3shxHYyy_wLs3dLKxc0OgSuiiVj5MuULpiOHSrEWqe/s640/gallery-1492017783-h-crab+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: <a href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a26038/the-blood-of-the-crab/" target="_blank">Popular Mechanics</a></td></tr>
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One quart (almost 1 liter) of horseshoe blood is sold by Atlantic fishermen to pharmaceutical companies for an astounding $15,000, a lucrative business with more than 600,000 'donors' being bled [3,6].</div>
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To obtain the blue blood they are hosed up, sucking 30 percent of their blood [2,3,6]. They are released back into the sea after 48 hours, dizzy after a clueless donation [3]. It is estimated that 3 to 15 percent of these crabs die after being bled [1], while those that survive become sluggish [3]. Also, scientists saw a decline in the population of horseshoe crab in Delaware and so prompted the creation of a sanctuary [1]. They have been assessed as <strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vulnerable</strong> since last year [8]. Scientists, hence, are on their way to creating synthetic amebocytes [3].</div>
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We may not live for as long as they have, but next time we receive a safe vaccination or feel well after a medication, we ought to thank a horseshoe crab.</div>
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To know more about <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/ComNames/CommonNameSearchList.php?crit1_operator=CONTAINS&search_text=horseshoe+crab&search_button=Search" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">horseshoe crabs</a>, visit <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a>.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><i>If you have more information on horseshoe crabs and other non-fish organisms, we'll be happy to have you as one of our <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/Collaborators/CollaboratorsTopicList.php" target="_blank">collaborators</a>. Let us know by sending us an <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/home/contact_us.php" target="_blank">email</a> </i></span></span><i style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 18px;">or visiting our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheSeaLifeBaseProject/" target="_blank">FaceBook page</a>.</i></div>
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[1] Krulwich, R. (2012, June 1).What the vampire said to the horseshoe crab: ‘your blood is blue?’ Retrieved from https://goo.gl/66sdMC</div>
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[2] National Ocean Service (2015). Are horseshoe crabs really crabs? Retrieved from https://goo.gl/J9zEw6</div>
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[3] Mancini, M. (2015, September 21). 10 hard-shelled facts about horseshoe crabs. <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mental Floss. </em>Retrieved from https://goo.gl/JNBSHT</div>
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[4] Walker, K. (2014, July 15). 10 facts about horseshoe crabs. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/WTmg7M</div>
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[5] Jones, L. (2015, April 13). Are there some animals that have stopped evolving? <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BBC Earth</em>. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/y8AQ22</div>
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[6] Moss, L. (2014, March 11). Why is horseshoe crab so vital to pharmaceuticals? <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mother Nature Network. </em>Retrieved from https://goo.gl/23czRv</div>
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[7] Edgecomb, M. (2002, June 21). Horseshoe crabs remain mysteries to biologists. <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">National Geographic. </em>Retrieved from https://goo.gl/Tz9Hys</div>
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[8] Smith, D.R., Beekey, M.A., Brockmann, H.J., King, T.L., Millard, M.J. & Zaldívar-Rae, J.A. 2016. <i style="box-sizing: inherit;">Limulus polyphemus</i>. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T11987A80159830. https://goo.gl/L8nZvT</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02777976539374330896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-37957832197971323762017-08-15T09:00:00.000+08:002017-08-24T12:17:39.546+08:00A Small Giant Makes Up For a House<div class="MsoNormal">
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L1wFb_ShW7k/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L1wFb_ShW7k?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Let's say
we're the curious scientists here about to embark on a deep dive, an excursion to
around 400 m down Monterey Bay. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">What what we're about to witness is a giant, floating... "tadpole"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">They're called giant larvaceans, pelagic basal chordates [1]. Most adult species are barely half
an inch [2] while <i>giants</i> are typically the size of a pinkie finger,
even reaching 3.5 inches. They might look like tadpoles with a distinct head and tail. Aptly so, <i>Larvacea </i>derives its name from its semblance to a larval tunicate [1].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Now, back to our interest, let's maneuver with our remotely operated vehicle (ROV), a
video, and a laser. Reaching the deep, dark waters, we spot</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18px;"> a head, an undulating tail - a larvacean as we expected it to be. Until...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>The Big, Transparent House</b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Lean
closer and we see a fragile, mucus "house" which encases the
larvacean. Depending on the species, the creature makes it a home either by
being attached to it or by being </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18px;">cocooned</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> within it. For instance,<span style="background-color: white;"> <i><a href="http://sealifebase.ca/Nomenclature/ScientificNameSearchList.php?crit1_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynGenus&crit1_fieldtype=CHAR&crit1_operator=EQUAL&crit1_value=Fritillaria&crit2_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynSpecies&crit2_fieldtype=CHAR&crit2_operator=contains&crit2_value=&group=summary&backstep=-2" target="_blank">Fritillaria</a></i> </span>species attach to the
outside while <i style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://sealifebase.ca/Nomenclature/ScientificNameSearchList.php?crit1_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynGenus&crit1_fieldtype=CHAR&crit1_operator=EQUAL&crit1_value=Oikopleura&crit2_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynSpecies&crit2_fieldtype=CHAR&crit2_operator=contains&crit2_value=&group=summary&backstep=-2" target="_blank">Oikopleura</a> </i>species usually live within it [1]. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0MVangGrISi3fhWZlFFRRbgns4HgTRLBOoJ-fRyJ0JawMMnEK24A3ptns4Hvtx8E8hXgy7RK1PI9yeJUbQnynxpXGgvIlJZrIlgKyitn4t4vPdY0Z9QF6VVLdfhkVKOFNb4Nyz_gNIqD/s1600/Bathochordaeus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0MVangGrISi3fhWZlFFRRbgns4HgTRLBOoJ-fRyJ0JawMMnEK24A3ptns4Hvtx8E8hXgy7RK1PI9yeJUbQnynxpXGgvIlJZrIlgKyitn4t4vPdY0Z9QF6VVLdfhkVKOFNb4Nyz_gNIqD/s640/Bathochordaeus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of the giant larvacean <i>Bathochordaeus mcnutti</i> from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (<a href="http://www.mbari.org/" target="_blank">MBARI</a>).</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">It doesn't take much to build a bubble house. An </span></span><i style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.5pt;">Oikopleura </i><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">sp. can inflate its house in a minute, and can construct 4 to 16 houses a day depending on the temperature and food </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">availability</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">. In a lifetime, it can construct 46 houses [1].</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">What's
the house for?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">It is a feeding apparatus: an efficient filter-feeding and trapping system [1,2,3].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Take the
giant larvacean <i><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://sealifebase.ca/summary/Bathochordaeus-charon.html" target="_blank">Bathochordaeus</a></span>.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The
</span></span><i style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.5pt;">Bathochordaeus'</i><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> house can reach a diameter greater than a meter. It is basically an outer structure with a mucus screen that excludes larger particles, plus an inner filter which sieves and concentrates plankton and organic material. Attached to one another, the house's tail chamber receives
the particle-laden water pumped by the creature's tail. The water is then
directed into the inner feeding filter. When it's done, the concentrated
particulate is delivered into the animal's mouth [2].</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">F</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">ood particles are shown in some species to be 100 to 1000 times more dense than the surrounding water: I</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">t's a rich broth like no other [2]. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Fastest Zooplankton Filter Feeder</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Larvaceans
are second to copepods as </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">ubiquitous</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> marine creatures. In ideal conditions,
their number could be massive. In </span></span><st1:state style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.5pt;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">British
Columbia</st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">, each cubic meter of water holds 25,260
individuals. That's a lot of whipping tails and house expansion [1].<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">However, attempts to grow a larvacean's house in the laboratory proved impossible; the houses are way too fragile [2,3]. A recent
study led by Katija used a tool called DeepPIV which permitted them to directly measure the</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> filtration rates of giant larvaceans on site. To their surprise,
each individual can filter 11 gallons (almost 42 liters) of water per hour [2]. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">That
makes them the fastest zooplankton feeder, spearing them ahead of copepods,
euphausiids, salps and small larvaceans [2]. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">At peak density and maximum filtration rate, giant larvaceans have the potential to filter their 200-m depth range in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Monterey</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place> within 13 days [2].</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Fertilizing Discards</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">When its house gets clogged, the larvacean simply discards it and makes another one. These large, nutrient-laden houses immediately sink to the seafloor without time for mineralization by microbes. Soaked with the ocean's upper productivity, these mucus houses</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> contribute about one-third to vertical carbon flux from near-surface waters to
the deep sea benthos [2,3]. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Probing
further into the mid-water filter feeders and their filtration capacities could someday shed more insights on
the connection between deep water biota and their long-term removal of atmospheric
carbon [2,3]. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: calibri; font-size: 18px;">If you have more information on larvaceans and other non-fish organisms, we'll be happy to have you as one of <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/" target="_blank">SeaLifeBase</a> <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/Collaborators/CollaboratorsTopicList.php" target="_blank">collaborators</a>. Let us know by sending us an <a href="http://sealifebase.ca/home/contact_us.php" target="_blank">email</a> or</i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: calibri; font-size: 18px;"> visiting our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheSeaLifeBaseProject/" target="_blank">FaceBook page</a>.</i><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">_________<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18px;">[1] Ruppert, E. E., Fox, R. S., & Barnes, R. D. (2004). Invertebrate zoology (7th ed.) A functional evolutionary approach.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">[2] Katija,
K., Sherlock, R. E., Sherman, A. D., & Robison, B. H. (2017). New
technology reveals the role of giant larvaceans in oceanic carbon cycling.
Science Advances, 3(5), e1602374.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.5pt;">[3] Yin, S.
(3 May 2017). In Disposable Mucus Houses, These Zooplankton Filter the Oceans.
The New York Times. Retrieved from http://nyti.ms/2qBhwgD<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02777976539374330896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2044810860464446245.post-65424647178653780442017-07-04T15:47:00.002+08:002017-07-04T15:57:31.335+08:00Celebrating the ocean<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
Two events to celebrate the ocean and promote awareness.</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from event page.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial"; line-height: 115%;"><br />To cap off the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MonthOfTheOcean/">Month of the
Ocean</a>, celebrated in the Philippines every May, the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources - Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB)
and the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
(DA-BFAR) in partnership with Bonifacio High Street and the PaNaGAt Network
along with a number of NGOs, partnered to launch the first ever <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/427353640962045/">Ocean Festival</a>.
Held last 28th of May in <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Bonifacio
High Street</st1:address></st1:street>, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Taguig</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
it featured conservation and sustainability talks, exhibits, arts and live
music. The activity aimed to raise awareness on issues confronting our ocean
today, foster a healthier and more mindful appreciation of the ocean and
highlight the connectivity of people and the ocean.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial"; line-height: 115%;">Participating agencies and
organizations had booths where they had various gimmicks to introduce
their advocacy and campaigns to participants. It was also a venue to
distribute information and education materials regarding the state of our
oceans and fisheries. FishBase Information and Research Group (FIN) participated and distributed <a href="http://sealifebaseproject.blogspot.com/2017/05/ocean-in-focus-species-fact-sheets.html">species fact sheets and postcards</a> highlighting popular Philippine
marine species.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from event page.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The international community celebrate Oceans month every June, and this year a small event: "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1919711661578067/">Be Ocean Wise</a>", was sponsored by Buku-Buku Kafe to promote ocean awareness for people in different walks of life and give them a chance to get involved and take part in various conservation efforts. This event was held last Saturday, 1st of July </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">at Buku-Buku Kafe, SM Southmall. FIN along with </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oceana Philippines, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines, Balyena.org, and Sip PH were invited.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aside from booths by participating organizations, short t</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">alks were also given on </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ocean awareness: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Making the right seafood choice, a step towards healthier oceans (by FIN), </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Single-use plastic and our oceans (by SIP-PH) and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Philippine Rise (by OCEANA Philippines).</span></div>
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