The Ocean Census Awards Recipients 2024

Dr. Ebert looks to identify and describe new Chondrichthyan species from the Nansen survey, conduct detailed morphological examinations and genetic analyses, and mentor graduate students and postdocs in Chondrichthyan taxonomy.

The importance of this research:

“The perception of sharks as large, fearsome, toothy predators belies the reality that sharks and rays are highly diverse and can be informative of the health of the marine environment. In 2014, nearly 25% of Chondrichthyan species were threatened, which increased to 33% in 2021, with at least one species now considered extinct and two additional species possibly extinct.

Yet despite increasing extinction risk, 20% of all known species of sharks, rays and ghost sharks were described in the past 20 years. However, despite this renaissance in shark taxonomy support for new species descriptions, is lacking. Support from the Ocean Census Taxonomy Award will be crucial to advancing the descriptions of new shark species before they vanish!”

Dr. Rowley is focussing on validating the discovery of Gorgonian Octocorals from mesophotic depths in the Indo-Pacific through morphological analysis (SEM), molecular confirmation (WGS), and phylogenetic assessment using existing genomic data.

The importance of this research:

“My research will provide the critical data necessary to describe and publish new species to science from previously inaccessible depths and locations of the Indo-Pacific. I combine advances in closed circuit rebreather technical diving and systematics (e.g. genome skimming) collaborating with leading specialists to ensure the highest accuracy of species validation.

As such, this data will undoubtedly accelerate the pace of marine species discovery, be unequivocable for essential biodiversity assessments and subsequent environmental protection, building the capacity for future hypotheses testing, and collaborative frameworks with scientists, local communities and students, and policy makers.”

Declan is looking to sequence 20 new bamboo corals from offshore Brazil, describe 10 new species, and place them within a global phylogeny of the Family Keratoisididae using UCEs and mitogenomes.

The importance of this research:

“Bamboo corals are prolific in the deep sea. Capable of forming huge aggregations and hosting unique communities of invertebrates, they are vital to sustaining biodiversity in these environments. Yet, we lack species-specific information about their distributions and life-history traits. By providing robust taxonomic expertise within this group, we enable researchers to build from the bottom up. 

For example, our work will allow scientists to use more reliable occurrence data in their models to make more informative predictions about the potential effects of climate change on species in the deep sea.

Ecologists can also begin to unravel which species co-exist in these communities and how associated invertebrate fauna utilise each specific coral species. This research establishes a fundamental baseline that all related fields can build upon.”

Dr. Stahlschmidt is on a mission to describe 100 new turrid species by completing four manuscripts, utilising museum collections and recent expedition material, and integrating morphological and genetic analysis.

The importance of this research:

“Turrids are unique in being a species guild that occupy all marine habitats, from the intertidal to hadal trenches, from the poles to the tropics, and are also well known from chemoautotrophic habitats.

Therefore, turrids are suitable indicators of global patterns of benthic marine biodiversity, which, however, requires the documentation of their diversity as well as the description of the undescribed species.”

Lauren looks to describe 26 new Amphipod species from diverse Australian marine habitats, finalise collections at Australian museums, and enhance marine literacy through detailed illustrations and photographs.

The importance of this research:

“Ed Ricketts, a scientist immortalised in John Steinbeck’s fictional literature Cannery Row, once published that if Amphipods were the size of large vertebrates everyone would know their names – as their behaviour, diversity and appearance were so endearing. With most amphipod species at less than one centimetre as adults, and many living in depths inaccessible beyond where we can swim, these creatures and their fascinating existence still remain understudied globally. 

Even to marine biologists, the text books designed to inspire interest in new readers, have remarked that this group, amphipods, is best left to the specialists. Therefore, a large part of my role as a taxonomist is bringing about named fauna and field guides to marine scientists and the marine curious, so these amazing amphipods become seen, studied and hopefully celebrated.”

Niki and Allison will identify and describe multiple new deep-sea sea cucumber species from the Bounty Trough collection using both morphological and phylogenetic methods, and assess previously identified but undescribed specimens.

The importance of this research:

“Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea) are an ancient, diverse, abundant, and ecologically important group (~1,770 species). Sea cucumbers are arguably the most morphologically diverse echinoderms with morphologies that span burrowing, occasional-swimming, and holopelagic (live and feed in the water column) forms. 

Despite their importance, the biodiversity of many sea cucumber groups is unknown as many species still need to be described, especially from deep-sea environments. This is a major problem as sea cucumbers are one of the most abundant organisms on coral reefs and in the deep sea, areas that are dramatically threatened by climate change and mining, respectively.

It is imperative that we understand their diversity so that we can better acknowledge their roles within these threatened systems, as well as understand how much biodiversity is being lost from these environments.”

Hiroshi is focussing on the discovery of numerous new meiofauna species from benthic samples collected by the TR/V Toyoshio-maru (Hiroshima University) over the last 30 years.

The importance of this research:

“The ocean is known to host an incredible diversity of life, and numerous studies have sought to explore this biodiversity. While many new species have been discovered through these surveys, the samples often contain numerous organisms that were “overlooked” during the original investigations. Our research aims to uncover new species among these overlooked organisms, preserved in bulk samples that have remained unexamined. 

These samples not only hold the potential for discovering new species but also provide insights into reconstructing the biodiversity of the time they were collected.

Additionally, the bulk samples we will use during the project were at risk of being discarded upon the retirement of the professor responsible for their preservation, making it crucial for marine biology to save and study these invaluable resources through this project.”

Baslavi, a sponge expert, is keen to identify at least 10 new sponge species from Peru. Moreover, she hopes to understand the sponge distribution in South America and build taxonomy skills in students.

The importance of this research:

“My research on ‘Discovering new sponge species from the Southeast Pacific using an integrative approach’ is crucial for advancing our understanding of marine biodiversity in poorly explored regions and habitats, bridging knowledge gaps in marine science. 

It also provides insights into the distribution of marine fauna, which can be used as a baseline for management strategies. This research not only contributes to the conservation of these vital marine organisms but also underscores the importance of protecting the Southeast Pacific’s unique ecosystems for future studies.”

Carlos hopes to evaluate the preserved benthic amphipods from Alacranes Reef, identify at least nine potential new species, and highlight the crucial role of coral reef habitats in biodiversity conservation.

The importance of this research:

“The research will contribute to counteract the Linnean shortfall, a widespread phenomenon in the study of marine biodiversity, which refers to the discrepancy between formally described species and the number of species that actually exist.

The funding will support the performance of quality work during species identification in the laboratory, through the acquisition of microscopy and computing equipment.”

Peter is looking to assess collections and describe new species of Indo-West Pacific intertidal crabs, focusing on the publication of new species from unsorted collections amassed over their career, including a new family, genera, and multiple species across several crab families.

The importance of this research:

“There are around 8,000 species of crabs already described, but there are still many more to be catalogued. Modern integrative taxonomic methods are showing us that their diversity has been greatly underestimated. Crabs are one of the most diverse groups of decapod crustaceans, and are of immense importance in the ecology of the oceans.

In particular they are keystone species in the health of mangrove systems, as well as other intertidal and coral reef habitats. With global warming and ocean acidification becoming an increasingly urgent problem, better documentation and description of crab biodiversity will be crucial in understanding and monitoring the threats such ecological changes may pose to coastal systems.”

Franziska will delimit and classify new species of Solenogastres using an integrative taxonomic approach that combines morphology and molecular data, and to catalogue and publish all newly discovered species following a standardised template.

The importance of this research:

“Solenogastres are found from shallow, knee-deep water down to the bottom of oceanic trenches, and with the right equipment they can be collected quite frequently. However, because it takes a lot of time and special techniques to study and identify them, only a handful of specialists work with these animals. As a result, we still know very little about their diversity, ecology, and also evolution.

This project is a small step in providing insights into the species richness of Solenogastres in parts of the North Atlantic and the North Pacific. Taxonomy helps to catalogue the still massive undescribed biodiversity found in our oceans. Ultimately, this knowledge is essential for many other lines of research, including conservation approaches in the light of environmental degradation.”

Kurt will be using the funding to support his participation in the 17th Deep-Sea Biology Symposium (DSBS) in Hong Kong. This includes presenting his findings from the JAMSTEC KM24-03 deep-sea expedition, where he collected anthozoans such as black corals, octocorals, and zoantharians.

These findings were identified using integrated taxonomic approaches. Additionally, Kurt will use this opportunity to highlight the support provided by the Ocean Census and promote their mission of accelerating species discovery to his peers at the symposium.

“In applying for this grant, I am again seeking additional support from the Ocean Census via their Science Event Awards in helping me participate and communicate these results in the upcoming DSBS. I will also be highlighting the support provided by the Ocean Census and share among peers their primary goal towards species discovery.”

Laetitia will use the funding to cover travel and subsistence expenses for attending the “International Taxonomic Workshop Dedicated to Polychaetes from the Aleutian Trench,”  Sorbonne Université in France. During this intensive week-long workshop, she will collaborate with 19 international experts to conduct detailed taxonomic analysis of polychaetes collected from the Aleutian Trench during the 2022 RV Sonne voyage ‘AleutBio.’

“The continued research into deep-sea annelids will directly contribute to the Ocean Census’s objectives by significantly expanding our understanding of species richness, composition, and biogeography of annelids from a poorly documented area of the world’s ocean. Furthermore, my attendance will enhance the Ocean Census’s reach into Europe and foster collaboration between international colleagues to enhance ocean discovery.”