The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world.
A new species of Ophiomyxa brittlestar. Photo by CSIRO.
Teeming biodiversity discovered in extinct volcanoes off south-eastern Australia
CSIRO’s Wealth from Oceans Flagship team has discovered hundreds of new marine species and dozens of undersea mountains, in a project to monitor the Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network off southern Tasmania.
The remarkable findings were made during surveys of the Tasman Fracture and Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserves, about 100 nautical miles off the coast of southern Tasmania.
Some video footage of the environment recorded during the surveys is included in the article below. The footage was recorded at depths between 1000 and 1600 metres from the Marine National Facility Research Vessel Southern Surveyor.
The project is a collaboration with the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage & the Arts. It aims to provide inventories of biodiversity and habitats, and develop operational detail for ongoing monitoring of the network.
Video 1. Some of the extensive thickets of stony corals that exist on many seamounts to depths of 1400 metres (this footage was captured at about 1200 metres depth). The complex structure of these corals resembles shallow tropical coral reefs and provides habitat for a multitude of:
attached filter feeding corals and sponges
smaller mobile animals, including crustaceans, brittle stars, urchins, molluscs, fishes.
Scientists from CSIRO worked with colleagues from:
Geoscience Australia
Museum Victoria
the Queensland Museum
the Australian Museum.
The team analysed the findings, which include an incredible 274 species new to science and a further 80 seamounts, or undersea mountains, which are some of the most biologically important habitats in our oceans.
Video 2. This video (captured at 1036 metres depth) was taken on Patience seamount, one of only two seamounts (undersea mountains) off temperate Australia where the abundant basketwork eel spawns. The eels co-exist there with schools of orange roughy.
This research was conducted in just two of the 14 reserves that form part of the network.
Thriving communities
Most of these seamounts are cone-shaped remnants of extinct volcanoes. They can be up to 25 kilometres across at the base and rise 200 to 500 metres from the seabed.
338 species new to science were brought to the surface and analysed, along with 86 species previously unknown in Australian waters.
They provide hard, elevated and current-swept habitats for rich communities of filter-feeding corals and sponges on the predominantly flat and muddy floor of the deep sea.
Data from this marine research project came from two surveys undertaken on the Marine National Facility Vessel, the Research Vessel Southern Surveyor – using multibeam sonar and underwater video transects, as well as seafloor sampling in November 2006 and April 2007.
Discovering a treasure trove
In total, 274 species new to science were brought to the surface and analysed, along with 86 species previously unknown in Australian waters and 242 previously studied species.
Video 3. The impact of bottom trawl fishing on a stony coral habitat on a shallow seamount (captured at 1005 metres depth). Industry voluntarily closed the fishery in 1999. The surveys also found some pristine habitats, however, on many other deeper seamounts and on the surrounding rocky bottom.
The sophisticated sonar equipment onboard also discovered 80 previously unknown seamounts, raising the total in the region to at least 144, which is easily the highest concentration in Australian waters.
Scientists also discovered 145 new undersea canyons, raising the regional total to at least 276.
Video 4. This video footage (captured at 1555 metres depth) shows the second Bathyraja richardsoni skate seen in Australian waters and thought to be the only one ever seen alive in the world.
The richness of mollusc fauna found – such as snails, squid and octopus-type creatures – has been described by marine scientists as ‘astounding’ and requiring a complete rewrite of textbooks for this type of fauna.
The Wealth from Oceans Flagship and its partners surveyed the Tasman Fracture and Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserves aboard the Marine National Facility Research Vessel Southern Surveyor
The team found and analysed 274 species new to science, as well as discovering 80 new seamounts, or undersea mountains, and 145 undersea canyons
Seamounts provide the right conditions for rich communities of filter-feeding corals and sponges to thrive
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world.
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