Seascapes of the #DeepSea https://oceanbites.org/seascapes-of-the-deep-sea/

Seascape #ecology in the vicinity of a Blake Ridge cold seep: Kellie Johnson et al. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1198226/full

"The #ColdSeep ecosystem included #mussels, #clams, #tubeworms, and #BacterialMats capable of harnessing energy from the methane and sulfur-rich environment through symbiosis... Outside the cold seep, #SeaStars, #urchins, and #SeaCucumbers dominated. The seep also seemed to be a hotspot for certain #predators such as #octopus"

Some #Caribbean #parrotfishes find benthic #CyanobacterialMats particularly tasty https://oceanbites.org/some-caribbean-parrotfishes-find-benthic-cyanobacterial-mats-particularly-tasty/

Preferential consumption of benthic cyanobacterial mats by Caribbean parrotfishes https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-023-02404-5

"this research shows that #parrotfish grazing may help control the overgrowth of #benthic #cyanobacteria mats in #reefs, providing further support that parrotfishes are critical components of #reef ecosystems"

#fish #bacteria #microbes #CoralReefs #BacterialMats

Volcanos, vents, and creatures of the deep, oh my (Part 2) https://ndsf.whoi.edu/volcanos-vents-and-creatures-of-the-deep-2/

"On the descent, the surface #ocean teems with gelatinous and soft-bodied #animals: #squid and #jellyfish undulating in and out of view. The #seafloor has a cast of characters: silvery rattail #fish trailing the vehicle, spider #crabs climbing into the basket, Dumbo #octopuses making appearances. And of course, the #worms, #mollusks, and #BacterialMats that thrive near vent systems."