The new ecosystem can be found deep within the Indian Ocean.
Evidence of an ecosystem known as "The Trapping Zone", 500 meters (1640 feet) below the surface of the Indian Ocean, has been discovered by N-E K T O N Maldives Mission and University of Oxford researchers. The finding has been hailed as being very important by the government of the Maldives.
N-E K T O N science cameras on the Omega Seam aster II submersible, in addition to biological samples collected and extensive sonar mapping, demonstrate that in this zone, large predators like sharks and other micro N-E K T O N swarms feed on them. These marine organisms are able to swim against the current and frequently perform the "Vertical Migration", or nighttime migration from the deep sea to the surface followed by a morning return to the depths. However, the micro N-E K T O N become entangled in the subsea landscape in this area at 500 meters (1640 feet).
Volcanic subsea strata and fossilized carbonate reefs make up the Maldivian atolls' steep vertical cliffs and shelving terraces. Large pelagic predators, such as schools of tuna and sharks, as well as well-known large deep-water fish like the spiky O R-E O, which is named after the biscuit, and the A-L F O N S-I N O, then target the trapped animals. The mission documented tiger sharks, gill sharks, sand tiger sharks, dogfish, gulper sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, silky sharks, and the extremely rare bramble shark.
Ocean life and topography both define marine ecosystems. Professor Alex Rogers of the University of Oxford, who has spent over 30 hours underwater observing "The Trapping Zone" in the mission's submersibles, said, "This has all the hallmarks of a distinct new ecosystem". The Trapping Zone is creating a life-sustaining haven in the Maldives, and it is likely to exist on other oceanic islands and on the slopes of continents as well.
Lucy Woodall, Principal Scientist at N-E K T O N and Associate Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Oxford, stated: This depth particularly piques our interest; why is this taking place? Is this a one-of-a-kind phenomenon at 500 meters, does this life extend even further, and if so, what is this transition, what is it, and why is it there? That is the crucial question that we must ask next. What is causing the patterns we've seen during this expedition? We will be able to better comprehend the deep ocean as a result of this
Credit: While a trapping effect has been linked to biodiversity hotspots on subsea mountains or seamounts, it has not been linked to the various geomorphology and biological parameters of oceanic islands like the Maldives. N-E K T O N Maldives Mission (c)N-E K T O N 2022.
The video and biological data are currently being analyzed in the Maldives, N-E K T O N UK headquarters in Oxford, and partner labs. The discovery may have significant repercussions for the management of sustainable fisheries, the burial and storage of carbon, climate change mitigation, and other oceanic islands and continents. The Maldives' President, H E Ibrahim Mohamed S O L-I H, stated: Our commitments to conservation and sustainable ocean management, as well as fisheries and tourism, will almost certainly benefit from the discovery of "The Trapping Zone," an oasis of life in the depths surrounding the Maldives.
N-E K T O N, a non-profit research institute based in Oxford's Beg Broke Science Park, is in charge of coordinating and managing the N-E K T O N Maldives Mission. N-E K T O N, the University of Oxford, the Government of the Maldives, a dozen Maldivian organizations, and an international alliance of technology, philanthropy, the media, and scientific partners are all partners in the mission. The mission's other findings thus far include:
Lines from old beaches: At depths of 122 meters, 101 meters, 94 meters, 84 meters, and 55 meters, terracing and wave erosion revealed evidence of various beach lines caused by sea level rise in the 20,000 years since the end of the last glacial maximum.
Reefs of Coral: In order to inform the Maldives Government's conservation and management policies, the mission systematically mapped, surveyed, and determined the location, health, and resilience of coral reefs in six major locations. A haven in the deep sea:
For the first time in the Maldives, the team conducted systematic surveys of the R-A R-I P H O T-I C zone at depths ranging from 120 meters to 300 meters. This zone is home to corals, reefs, and organisms, some of which are highly likely to be new species to science
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