Under the deep waters that surround the Galapagos, those islands that inspired some of the most brilliant ideas of Charles Darwin, the authorities of the national park of the Ecuadorian archipelago have announced the discovery of up to 30 new species of organisms not known to science, until now .
And is that this small portion of planet Earth still reveals new biological discoveries and many scientific surprises.
The waters of the Galapagos Marine Reserve are home to new vividly colored corals and strange sponges or even a small handful of unusual crustaceans.
During a 10-day cruise aboard the EV Nautilus research vessel, Charles Darwin Foundation researchers used remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to explore the deep-sea environment between depths of 290 and 3373 meters. The team collected 90 biological specimens that were preserved and sent to experts around the world for analysis.
Of the 90 specimens recovered, they found 30 species and five genera that were not described and were new to science. This includes four species of lobster, one species of giant cup coral, 10 bamboo corals, three octocorals, 11 sponges, and a brittle starfish.
“This finding confirms that Galapagos is a living laboratory with biological and ecological processes in progress and yet to be explored, which makes it an exceptional site that deserves all our efforts to be conserved,” said Paulo Proaño, Minister of the Environment and Ecuador water.
The threats
Despite their importance to biodiversity, these seamounts are vulnerable to trawling and other destructive human activities. Fortunately, the seamounts within the Galapagos Marine Reserve are protected against such practices, but this finding shows us that we must place more emphasis on preserving this habitat.
Referencia: Salinas-de-León, P., Martí-Puig, P., Buglass, S. et al. Characterization of deep-sea benthic invertebrate megafauna of the Galapagos Islands. Sci Rep 10, 13894 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70744-1
