The Galapagos Islands are love as the country thatinspired someof the brightest ideas from Charles Darwin when he inspect the volcanic archipelago back in1835 . Around185 years later , this small patch of planet Earth is still reveal young biological discovery and plenty of scientific surprise .
A recent diving into the protect waters of the Galapagos Marine Reserve has managed to identify 30 new coinage of thick - sea invertebrate beast , from vividly colored coral and alien - corresponding sponges to a pocket-sized handful of strange crustaceans .
During a 10 - day cruise aboard the EV Nautilus research vas , researchers from the Charles Darwin Foundation used remotely - operated vehicles ( ROV ) to explore the cryptic - ocean environment between depths of 290 and 3,373 meter ( ~950 to 11,066 feet ) around the Galapagos Marine Reserve , a large protect field found thousands of kilometre from mainland Ecuador . The team collected 90 biologic specimen that were preserved and charge to experts around the earth for depth psychology . The results of the sample distribution were published in the Nature journalScientific Reportsthis hebdomad .
Out of the 90 specimen recover , they obtain 30 species and five genus that were undescribed and new to scientific discipline . This includes four specie of squat lobster , one species of giant cup red coral , 10 bamboo coral , three octocorals , 11 sponges , and one brittle starfish .
" These dives revealed some of the most unusual deep - sea octocorals we have seen . These new species will contribute to demonstrate the uniqueness of the deep - sea animal in the Tropical Eastern Pacific , ” Dr Les Watling , a study writer from the University of Hawaii at Manoa , sound out in astatement
“ This determination confirms that Galapagos is a living science lab with biological and ecological processes in progress and yet to be research , which make it an exceptional web site that merit all our efforts to be conserved , ” Paulo Proaño , Ecuador ’s Minister of Environment and Water , say in anotherstatement .
The ROVs were focused on the seafloor ’s seamounts , submerged sloped mountain formed from volcanic rock . These geological features are often home to anincredible array of biodiversityas they provide an idealistic environment for life to thrive . For starters , they put up nautical lifetime with a substrate for lifetime to latch onto and originate . They also arrest the ocean ’s current , which acquit with them a unceasing current of nutrient and planktonic food from elsewhere in the sea , sort of like aconveyor belt sushi .
Unfortunately , these havens of thick - ocean life are often under menace . Despite their importance for biodiversity , seamounts arevulnerable to trawlingand other destructive human activities . Thankfully , the seamount within the Galapagos Marine Reserve are protected against such practices , but this study further play up the importance of preserving these priceless environments in the eastern Pacific and beyond .
" The inscrutable - ocean remains as earth ’s last frontier and this study provides a stoolie - peak into the least make love biotic community of the Galapagos Islands , " excuse Dr Pelayo Salinas de León , lead study author and senior maritime scientist at the Charles Darwin Foundation and preservation scientist at the National Geographic Pristine Seas project .
" These pristine seamounts are within the Galapagos Marine Reserve and are protect from destructive human practices such as fishing with bottom trawls or deep - sea mining that are known to have ruinous impacts upon fragile communities . Now it is our duty to make certain they stay pristine for the generations to come , " he added .
