Sea anemones (Cnidaria: Actiniaria, Corallimorpharia) of the deep northeastern Pacific Ocean: a baseline

survey.

W.E. Eash-Loucks

University of Kansas – Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity Institute

Why Study Deep Sea Anemones?

• Very little is known about the fauna and their distribution

• Much is known about shallow water anemones

• Growing oxygen minimum zone off the coast of Oregon

Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs)• ~150 worldwide• Low oxygen

– Hypoxia– Anoxia

• Below photic zone• Areas where little

mixing occurs• Can be natural or

manmade

http://earthguide.ucsd.edu

The OMZ off the Coast of Oregon• Caused by upwelling

– High nutrients– Low oxygen

• Strongest in summer• Growing

mcbi.org

Chan et al., 2007

Effects of OMZ on Marine Life

• Increased mortality• Cnidarians have high

tolerance to low O2

• Sea anemones are likely to be the last group effected

Vaquer-Sunyer and Duarte, 2008

Grantham et al., 2004

Establishing a Baseline• Southern California

to British Columbia• 60 – 4,100 m• 1960s – 1970s• Approximately 25

species• 13 studied closely

– Large– Abundant

Methods for Species Identification• External Anatomy

– Body form and color– Tentacle number and arrangement

• Internal Anatomy

• Histology

• Cnidae

etc.usf.edu

Previously Described Species

• Metridium farcimen

• Paractinostola faeculenta

• Anthosactis nomados

• Actinauge verrillii

• Paraphelliactis pabista

Previously Described Species

• Corallimorphus denhartogi

• Monactis vestita

• Bathyphellia australis

• Liponema brevicornis

New/Unidentified Species

• Bolocera sp.

• Actinoscyphia n. sp.

• Sicyonis n. sp.

• Member of Family Sagartiidae

Summary• OMZ in northeastern Pacific Ocean poses a threat to marine life• Established baseline of anemone fauna can be used to make

conclusions about how anemones are effected by the growing OMZ

• Identified 13 of approximately 25 species of deep sea anemones

AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments• Funding

– Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Travel Fund

– Biodiversity Institute, Panorama Society Small Grant

• Specimen Loans– Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

• Daphne Fautin