The deep sea teems with life, but many of the fascinating animals that live in the ocean’s depths are extremely delicate. Successfully collecting these animals for further study in the lab is exceedingly challenging. An estimated 30 to 60 percent of marine life has yet to be described  by scientists, often because of the difficult process of collecting specimens for study.

A multidisciplinary team of roboticists, ocean engineers, bioengineers, and marine and molecular biologists has successfully demonstrated how new technologies can rapidly obtain high-resolution 3D images and preserved tissue to accelerate the discovery of new life in the deep sea.

The research team—led by the University of Rhode Island (URI) in collaboration with MBARI, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Harvard University, PA Consulting, and Baruch College—published their findings in Science Advances today. The team has shown that it is possible to shave years from the process of determining whether a new or rare species has been discovered. Their findings represent five years of work to find faster ways to collect detailed information about deep-sea animals.

“The ocean is at a critical crossroads. We urgently need to establish a baseline of who lives in the deep sea so we can assess and track the impacts of human activity across all ocean ecosystems. Advanced imaging technologies can accelerate this work, helping us better understand marine life so we can better protect ocean animals and environments for future generations,” said MBARI Principal Engineer Kakani Katija, a coauthor of the study.

Revolutionary advancements in underwater imaging, robotics, and genomic sequencing are transforming ocean exploration. By leveraging these new tools, within minutes of an encounter with a deep-sea animal, scientists can capture detailed measurements and motion of the animal, obtain its entire genome, and generate a comprehensive list of genes being expressed to assess its physiological status. The research team calls the result of these rich digital data a “cybertype” of a single animal rather than a physical holotype specimen that is traditionally found in museum collections.

When researchers encounter what they believe to be a new species, they first face the challenge of collecting an intact specimen and transporting it to the surface. Describing a new species requires detailed analysis of defining physical features, requiring the specimen to be preserved for further study. Some organisms, especially gelatinous animals, are so delicate that their tissues cannot withstand preservation agents. The cybertype can fill in the gaps for specimens that break down over time, ensuring that information about these species is available for future scientists.

“Currently, if researchers want to describe what they believe is a new species, they face an arduous process,” said URI Professor Brennan Phillips, the principal investigator on the project. Phillips noted that the backlog of describing new species has hampered conservation efforts. “When you look at climate change and deep-sea mining and their potential effects, it is unsettling. You realize you don’t have a full baseline of species, and you may not know what you’ve lost before it’s too late. If you want to know what has been there before it’s gone, this is a new way to do that.”

Two expeditions with the Schmidt Ocean Institute aboard the research vessel Falkor offshore of Hawaii in 2019 and off the coast of San Diego in 2021 allowed Phillips, Katija, and team to test technology for creating a cybertype for deep-sea animals. 

The team collected as many as 14 preserved tissue samples a day, along with terabytes of quantitative digital imagery. Together, the study provided: 

• • 

    The first complete assembled and annotated transcriptome (genes being made in the animals’ habitat) of the salp Pegea, a barrel-shaped gelatinous invertebrate;
  • Details of the molecular basis of environmental sensing of the gossamer worm (Tomopteris sp.), a bristle worm that lives in the water column;
  • Details of the full transcriptomes of two gelatinous siphonophores, Erenna sp. and Marrus claudanielis, as well as Pegea and Tomopteris;
  • Full morphological (form and structure) characterizations using digital imaging of each animal while at depth.