Deep AND beautifulDeep-sea invertebrates of New Zealand
KAREEN SCHNABEL & SADIE MILLSNational Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) Greta Point, Wellington
Talk outline
• Who we are
• The deep sea
• How do we collect?
• The NIWA Invertebrate
Collection
Don’t hesitate to ask questions any time
There will be a chance to see specimens up close
after if you didn’t get a chance during the talk
Have fun!
This is what people
think we doThis is what we
thought we would do
We are marine biologists
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Ga
ry C
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This is what people
think we doThis is what we
thought we would do
This is what our
mums think we do
We are marine biologists
ww
w.c
tpost.
co
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Ga
ry C
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This is what people
think we doThis is what we
thought we would do
This is what our
mums think we do
This is what our
colleagues think we do
We are marine biologists
ww
w.c
tpost.
co
m
Ga
ry C
ranitch
This is what people
think we doThis is what we
thought we would do
This is what
we think we do
This is what our
mums think we do
This is what our
colleagues think we do
We are marine biologists
ww
w.c
tpost.
co
m
Ga
ry C
ranitch
This is what people
think we doThis is what we
thought we would do
This is what
we think we do
This is what we
mostly do
This is what our
mums think we do
This is what our
colleagues think we do
We are marine biologists
ww
w.c
tpost.
co
m
Ga
ry C
ranitch
• Collection Manager at
NIWA Invertebrate
Collection
• 11 research cruises (NZ &
Antarctica)
• Ophiuroid taxonomist
• Collection Manager 2006-
2015
• Lots of research cruises and
field trips
• Decapod taxonomist and
deep sea researcher at NIWA
Sadie Mills Kareen Schnabel
Planet Ocean
Planet Ocean
71 % of Earth’s surface is ocean
Average depth of oceans: 3,700m
Deepest point: 11,033m
Highest mountain: 10,200m
Longest mountain range: 64,000km
A quick tour through the ocean realm,
99 percent of the living space on the
planet
A quick tour through the ocean realm,
99 percent of the living space on the
planet
IT’S DARK
A quick tour through the ocean realm,
99 percent of the living space on the
planet
IT’S DARK
IT’S COLD
Pressure at 1000m is 100X
higher than at surface
SCUBA diving recreational depth limit is 40 m
Spirula spirula
Average depth of oceans: 3,700m
The abyssal zone
Aoraki/ Mt Cook is 3,724 m high
RMS Titanic lies at 3,800 m depth
Average depth of oceans: 3,700m
The abyssal zone
• Zealandia: a submerged continent
• Trenches, canyons, seamounts, rises, abyssal plains
CANZ, 2008
Laetmogone sp.
Kamptosoma sp.
Most of it is mud…
But there are lots of signs of life
Trenches
Mariana Trench: 10,911 ± 40 m
The hadal zone
Trenches
Mariana Trench: 10,911 ± 40 m
The hadal zone
Mt Everest (8,848m)
Trenches
Kermadec Trench: 10,047
The hadal zone
Trenches
Kermadec Trench: 10,047
The hadal zone
Alicella gigantea from 7000 m
Trenches
Kermadec Trench: 10,047
The hadal zone
RIP ROV Nereus
HADES, WHOI
The Ocean floor
It’s a matter of scale
1000s km
abyssal plains
seamounts
10s m
smokers
whalefalls
1 cm
Biological interactions
The Ocean floor
1000s km
abyssal plains
seamounts
10s m
smokers
whalefalls
1 cm
Biological interactions
The Ocean floor
The Ocean floor1000s km
abyssal plains
seamounts
10s m
smokers
whalefalls
1 cm
Biological interactions
1000s km
abyssal plains
seamounts
10s m
smokers
whalefalls
1 cm
The Ocean floor
Paragorgia arborea
Solenosmilia variabilis
How do we get there?
Beam trawl
RV Tangaroa
Epibenthic sled DSRV SHINKAI 6500 Multicore
Critter of the Week
The NIWA Invertebrate Collection
The NIWA Invertebrate Collection
Considered a nationally significant collection which ensures availability for all users in perpetuity
~ 2 FTE
~ 300,000-400,000 samples (?)
>150,000 databased
RECORDS DON’T EXIST UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN DATABASED!
NIWA Invertebrate Collection
NIWA Biodiversity Memoir Series
1981
2000
2012
2016• First memoir printed in 1955 by NZOI and included oceanographic and geomorphology works
• Late 1990s became Biodiversity memoirs including seminal systematic works on NZ marine inverts
• 128 memoirs
https://www.niwa.co.nz/coasts-and-oceans/niwa-biodiversity-memoirs
• Field identification guides
– Aimed at technical staff and fisheries observers to
improve identification in the field
Inspirational Invertebrates e-guides
https://www.niwa.co.nz/coasts-and-oceans/marine-identification-guides-and-fact-sheets
After
Out of sight but not out of reach
Before
Finishing on a positive note
Video clip time!
Clips are from voyages TAN1206 & TAN1503 from project: ‘Impact of resource use
on vulnerable deep-sea communities’ project (CO1X0906), funded by the Ministry
of Business, Innovation & Employment
Thank you for your attention
Feel free to ask questions
Acknowledgements
• The NIWA Invertebrate Collection is funded by the New Zealand Ministry for
Business Innovation and Employment with Core Funding (NIWA project
COBR1603). Images by NIWA or Creative Commons unless otherwise stated.
Thank you to NIWA photographers Dave Allen, Peter Marriott, Rob Stewart,
Owen Anderson, Richard O’Driscoll, Ashley Rowden, Crispin Middleton; seafloor
imagery from the NIWA Deep Towed Imaging System (DTIS) Camera; and
seafloor map imagery from the NIWA Charting Around New Zealand (CANZ)
group, 2008.