These species live in the Arctic sea below the ice and their existence has baffled scientists for years. Understand!
Pedro Paulo Furlan, supervised by Pamela Malva Published on 02/14/2022 at 22:00
Discovered by scientists in an expedition to the arctic, several sponge gardens have been photographed bobbing in the depths of the ice. The specimens reach more than a meter in diameter and their general functioning has made researchers question how organisms survive arctic conditions.
Recently, however, after a deeper study of the region, the water around it and the sponges themselves, experts suggest that, possibly, these organisms, far from any known source of nutrition, feed on very old fossil matterwith the help of friendly bacteria, which produce antibiotics.
The fossils that these sponges eat are the remains of worms and other extinct animals, something also possible due to the age of these gardens, several of them reaching more than 300 years old. Underneath the ice, the layer of dead material is abundant, so scientists credit this to the abundance of sponges.
However, the ecosystems formed by these organisms can be in serious danger due to climate change and changes in the underwater world. The teacher Antje Boethiusfrom the Alfred Wegener Institute, according to UOL coverage, preaches the protection of these sponges and their largest study.
There is so much alien life and especially in the ice covered seas where we barely have the technology to access it and look around and make a map. […] With sea ice cover rapidly declining and the ocean environment changing, a better understanding of hotspot ecosystems is essential to protect and manage the unique diversity of these pressured Arctic seas,” she said.
–
