July 30th
Rouse, G.W.; Goffredi, S.K.; Vrijenhoek, R.C. (2004). Osedax: Bone-Eating
Marine Worms with Dwarf Males. Science 305(5684): 668-671.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/305/5684/668
"We describe a new genus, Osedax, and two new species of annelids with females
that consume the bones of dead whales via ramifying roots. Molecular and
morphological evidence revealed that Osedax belongs to the Siboglinidae, which
includes pogonophoran and vestimentiferan worms from deep-sea vents, seeps,
and
anoxic basins. Osedax has skewed sex ratios with numerous dwarf (paedomorphic)
males that live in the tubes of females. DNA sequences reveal that the two
Osedax species diverged about 42 million years ago and currently maintain
large
populations ranging from 105 to 106 adult females."
and:
http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2004/whalefall.html
To: annelida at net.bio.net
From: "Geoff Read" <g.read at niwa.co.nz>
Organization: NIWA (Nat. Inst. Water & Atmos. Res. NZ)
Subject: Worms open route to whale bones
Date sent: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 03:26:55 +0100 (BST)
> "It's a new polychaete, a new genus and species, and we think it's unique to
> whale falls."
>> See also:
>http://www.mbari.org/expeditions/Whale/August%206th,%202003.htm>http://www.mbari.org/expeditions/Whale/August%207th,%202003.htm>> SCIENCE, Volume 301, Issue 5639,
> dated September 12 2003
>> www.sciencemag.org
>> Report from: 4TH INTERNATIONAL SYMBIOSIS SOCIETY CONGRESS:
>> "About 2 years ago, Shana Goffredi and her colleagues came across sunken
> treasure on the sea floor of California's Monterey Bay. It wasn't gold coins
> that got them excited but the body of a recently dead whale lingering on the
> sea floor 3000 meters deep. "It's one of the deepest known whale falls," and
> deeper than most scavenger fish dare to go, said Goffredi, a marine biologist
> at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing.
--
Geoff Read <g.read at niwa.co.nz>
http://www.annelida.net/
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