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Bizarre Beasts Bizarre Beasts and Creepy and Creepy CreaturesCreaturesTales of undiscovered life Tales of undiscovered life
forms on Planet Earthforms on Planet Earth
Professor Michael Gillings, Biological Professor Michael Gillings, Biological Sciences, Macquarie UniversitySciences, Macquarie University
How many How many species do do we know about?we know about?
Known Known species: species:
1.5 1.5 millionmillion
Unknown Unknown species: species: 8 to 100 8 to 100 million million
Birds & Mammals: Most species are
known (~13,000).
Lord Howe Is. songbirds (EXTINCT 1920-1924)
Rate of discovery equals rate of extinctions
Hawaiian Is. birds (EXTINCT)
various planktonic
forms
PlanktonTrawling using very fine plankton nets reveals a
world of amazing microscopic life
larval jellyfish
http://scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/nsf/gallery/gallery11.html
Sea spiders (Pycnogonids)
These are common in temperate zones, but often overlooked because of their small size. They grow much
larger in the Antarctic
Seaweed? or...
Leafy Sea Dragons are actually fish. Because they
are highly territorial,
collection can endanger
populations.
Life in the Ocean Deeps
Deep sea exploration has discovered bizarre life forms clustered around vents that
spew out hot sulphurous water
Life in the Ocean Life in the Ocean DeepsDeeps
Black smokers support communities of tube worms, clams
and crabs
http://newsletter.dri.edu/2001/fall/closelook.htm
http://www.ocean.udel.edu/deepsea/level-2/creature/worm.html
The Pompeii wormAlvinella pompejana lives
under tremendous pressure at the bottom of the ocean, in heavy-metal laden water at 80oC
The Vampire SquidThis deep-sea squid inverts
its tentacles when threatened, to reveal heavily spined ridges
Methane Ice Worms
http://www.science.psu.edu/iceworms/iceworms.html
Bizarre worms burrow tunnels into mounds of frozen methane on the sea floor. They feed on bacteria
that eat the methane.Frozen methane (yellow)Methane ice worm
Strange animals lurk in the Strange animals lurk in the ocean deeps, where the ocean deeps, where the pressure is equivalent to pressure is equivalent to
having a skyscraper made of having a skyscraper made of lead sitting on you.lead sitting on you.http://people.whitman.edu/~yancey/
echinoderms.html
What the ?????
Sacoglossans: the “plantimals”
These sea slugs steal chloroplasts from seaweeds
and use them to photosynthesise
ElysiaPlacida
Plant or Plant or Animal?Animal?
The sea slug The sea slug ElysiaElysia can can
photosynthesise photosynthesise using chloroplasts using chloroplasts it steals from its it steals from its algal food sourcealgal food source
Elysia chlorotica
Cassiopea, the upside
down jellyfish, has algae in its tentacles
More More “plantimal“plantimal
s”s”
Pteraeolidia, a nudibranch
that farms brown algae in its body
Bergey’s Manual: ~4,800 species
Teaspoon of soil:
4,000 species
99% undescr
ibed
Bacteria: 4,800 of 1 million species
ExtremophilesOrganisms that live under
conditions of extreme heat, cold, acidity,
Mono Lake: 3 x saltier than
seawater, pH 10.7
Grand Prismatic Spring: boiling volcanic water
Pyrococcus abyssi 96oC
Pyrodictium occultum 105oC
Pyrobaculum 100oC
Some like it Hot
Strain 121: Grows at 121oC (the
current record holder)
Life in the cold
Microbial mats in Antarctic lakes
Bacteria recovered from 3,600 meters
below the surface of Lake Vostok in the Antarctic interiorBacteria have been found growing in
surface snow at the South Pole, where the ambient temperature is -12 to -
17oC
Deinococcus radiodurans can tolerate radiation doses 10,000
times that required to kill humans. It can also survive high UV doses,
highly toxic chemicals and extreme desiccation
Life at high radiation doses
It is now clear that life occurs in bedrock, and that such
“intraterrestrials” may account for half of all biomass
Bacillus infernus from 2.7 km below the surface
Thermus sp. from Witswatersand gold mine (deepest mine
in the world)
Life deep in the Life deep in the EarthEarth
Cueva de Villa Luz
1997: Investigations of the Cueva de Villa Luz revealed a complex ecosystem living in
high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide. Metabolism of sulfur by bacteria supported
an array of other life forms. Sulfuric acid produced by the bacteria accelerated cave
formation.
Life Life Underground: Underground:
SnottitesSnottites
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Bacteria produce polysaccharide slime
that drips from the cave roof: “snottites”
Aliens underground:
Nullarbor microbial slime
curtains
Ph
oto
: P
ete
r P
hoto
: P
ete
r R
og
ers
Rog
ers
Entrance to Cocklebiddy Entrance to Cocklebiddy cave, Western Australiacave, Western Australia
Life on other Life on other planets?planets?
Jupiter’s moon Europa; where Jupiter’s moon Europa; where there is water, there may be lifethere is water, there may be lifehttp://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/
prop_missions.html#europa prop_missions.html#europa http://planetary.org/news/articlearchive/headlinhttp://planetary.org/news/articlearchive/headlin
es/1998/headln-072398.htmles/1998/headln-072398.html