Tag

Osedax

All articles tagged with #osedax

science1 month ago•11 min saved

Whale falls turn dead giants into decades-long deep-sea oases

When a whale sinks to the abyssal seafloor, it creates a whale fall that can host up to 190 species around a single skeleton. Bone‑eating Osedax worms feed on the bones for up to a decade, while bacteria release hydrogen sulfide to sustain chemosynthetic communities. These processes create a long-lasting deep-sea ecosystem observed at depths of about 4,000–6,800 meters, though the total number of active whale falls globally remains unknown.

via Space Daily|

#bone-eating-worms #chemosynthesis #deep-sea-biology

science3 months ago•4 min saved

Antarctic Whale Fall Reveals Hidden Deep-Sea Food Web

A 10.7-meter Antarctic minke whale skeleton found at 1,444 meters near the South Sandwich Islands marks the first natural whale fall observed in Antarctic waters. In the sulfophilic stage, bacteria on decomposing bones generate chemical energy that sustains a new deep-sea community, including nine previously unknown species and bone-eating Osedax worms, with colonization linked to bone lipid content via the oil-gradient hypothesis. The ecosystem is powered by chemosynthesis rather than sunlight, and decomposition can take years to decades; researchers also note unresolved questions on how such isolated prey sources are located in the vast ocean and how whale falls connect to hydrothermal-vent habitats in polar regions.

via Indian Defence Review|

#antarctica #chemosynthesis #deep-sea-biology

science4 months ago•13 min saved

Whale Falls Spark Hidden Deep-Sea Ecosystems

When a whale carcass sinks to the deep ocean, it becomes a long-lasting, multi-stage feast: initial scavengers strip flesh, bone‑eating worms (Osedax) and bone‑eating snot‑flowers bore into bone, and later sulphur‑loving chemoautotrophs sustain a thriving community for decades, turning a single whale into a whole new ecosystem and aiding the dispersal of specialized deep‑sea life.

via BBC|

#chemosynthesis #deep-sea #osedax

science5 months ago•5 min saved

A Decade of Seafloor Silence: Deoxygenation Disrupts Deep-Sea Recycling

Scientists using the NEPTUNE observatory monitored Barkley Canyon for nearly 10 years and found an unexpected absence of decay activity around whale bones and wood, lacking typical scavengers and bone-eating organisms. The results suggest ocean deoxygenation and expanding oxygen minimum zones are suppressing the deep-sea recyclers (Osedax, Xylophaga), potentially slowing organic decomposition and nutrient cycling with ripple effects on the broader food web.

via Indian Defence Review|

#carbon-cycle #deep-sea #deoxygenation

science5 months ago•3 min saved

Oxygen Loss Threatens Deep-Sea Zombie Worms and Whale-Fall Habitats

A decade-long study at Barkley Canyon, BC, found no Osedax zombie worms on whale bones placed on the deep seafloor, suggesting expanding oxygen minimum zones from ocean warming may suppress bone-eating worms and shrink whale-fall habitats and deep-sea biodiversity in the NE Pacific; researchers plan further monitoring at Clayoquot Slope.

via ScienceAlert|

#climate-change #osedax #oxygen-minimum-zones

environment8 months ago•2 min saved

Missing ‘Zombie Worm’ Signals Potential Ocean Ecosystem Threat

The disappearance of the deep-sea 'zombie worm' (Osedax), which feeds on whale bones, may indicate declining oxygen levels in the ocean caused by warming, potentially disrupting important deep-sea ecosystems and leading to species loss.

via The Inertia|

#environment #ocean-ecosystem #ocean-warming

science1 year ago•3 min saved

Bone-Eating Worms Have Survived 100 Million Years in the Ocean

A new study reveals that bone-eating worms from the genus Osedax have been feeding on marine bones for at least 100 million years, with fossils indicating their presence in the Cretaceous period and showing remarkable evolutionary stability over time.

via ScienceAlert|

#bone-eating-worms #cretaceous-period #fossils