Antarctic mission finds 700 new species

An astonishing array of wildlife has been unexpectedly found in one of the world's most hostile environments - the pitch-black, freezing extreme depths of the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica.

More than 700 creatures new to science, ranging from crustaceans and molluscs to carnivorous sponges and free-swimming worms, have been discovered on a series of expeditions exploring the deep waters of the Weddell Sea.

No fewer than 585 new species of crustacean were brought to light during three sampling expeditions set up as part of the Andeep (Antarctic benthic deep-sea biodiversity) project, carried out by an international team including British scientists who were based on the German polar research ship Polarstern between 2002 and 2005.

The results, reported this week in the journal Nature, throw new light on a largely unstudied place and challenge previous preconceptions that life in the Southern Ocean's extreme depths was unlikely to be particularly plentiful.

"What was once thought to be a featureless abyss is in fact a dynamic, variable and biologically rich environment," said Dr Katrin Linse, a marine biologist from the British Antarctic Survey, who took part in the expeditions. "Finding this extraordinary treasure- trove of marine life is our first step to understanding the complex relationships between the deep ocean and distribution of marine life."

The expedition leader, Professor Angelika Brandt from the Zoological Institute and Zoological Museum at the University Hamburg, said that the Antarctic deep sea was potentially the cradle of life of the global marine species. "Our research results challenge suggestions that the deep sea diversity in the Southern Ocean is poor," she said. "We now have a better understanding in the evolution of the marine species and how they can adapt to changes in climate and environments."

During their three voyages, Professor Brandt and her colleagues investigated the seafloor landscape, its continental slope rise and changing water depths to build a picture of life in this little-known region of the ocean. They collected biological specimens and environmental data from phenomenal depths - in different regions between 774 and 6,348 metres under the surface of the Weddell Sea and adjacent areas.

The Weddell Sea is an important source of deep water for the rest of the ocean and provides a possible route for species to enter that deep water. In line with this, the team found deep-sea faunas that were also found in adjacent shelf communities and in other oceans.

They spotted 674 species of isopod - a diverse order of crustaceans - of which more than 80 per cent were new to science. Of more than 70 species of sponges recovered, 17 were new to science, and the researchers found 81 new species of polychaete worms and more than 70 new species of ostracods (small crustaceans).

* First insights into the biodiversity and biogeography of the Southern Ocean deep sea. Brandt, et al, 'Nature', 447, pp307-311

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