![]() In fact, some arctic deep-sea organisms grow as much in 10 years as some tropical organisms grow in one year! This means that polar and deep-sea species live to be much older than tropical species. Many deep-sea organisms, including organisms in polar regions, also grow very slowly. They would need to be kept in special pressurized tanks. Thus, most deep-sea organisms would die in tropical temperatures or if they were kept in an aquarium. Most marine invertebrates lack gas-filled body compartments (like lungs in humans) that would collapse at high pressure. Rather, cold-adaptation means that these animals' enzymes and metabolic processes work best at ambient low temperatures and at high pressure. This does not mean, however, that deep-sea organisms do not do as well as organisms from warmer waters. This means that organisms in cold waters live and work at a "lower speed than organisms in warmer waters. These animals adapt to permanently low temperatures such as those found in the Arctic by having low metabolic rates. ![]() However, now we know that marine benthic organisms are well adapted to their environment and can live and thrive even in the cold dark waters of the deep sea. Recent research indicates that the diversity of species living in the deep-sea may rival the species richness found in tropical coral reefs! At first, scientists found this puzzling because we believed that few lifeforms could withstand the harsh, deep regions of the oceans. Typical benthic invertebrates include sea anemones, sponges, corals, sea stars, sea urchins, worms, bivalves, crabs, and many more. Most of these animals lack a backbone and are called invertebrates. University of Alaska, Fairbanks Life on the Arctic Deep Sea FloorĪnimals that live on the sea floor are called benthos. Research Assistant Professor of Marine Biology Here, the sample has been taken and the metal sides of the core are screwed back together to prepare for the next cast. It removes a piece of the sea floor with all the animals in and on it. A box core works like a cookie cutter for sediment. These scientists are working on a box core. The locally high abundance and biomass is determined by the amount of food available and is sustained by only few species. Click image for larger view.īrittle stars dominate vast areas of the investigated Arctic sea floor. ![]() Feather stars, basket stars, this particular sea cucumber (all in the group of echinoderms) and anemones prefer hard bottom as a substrate. A rich benthic community in the European Arctic. ![]()
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