“We can really try to see how increased flexibility affects the algae.”Ĭarrington and Newcomb hope that field studies like these, which look at the mechanical function of the calcium carbonate skeletons and not just their composition, will help biologists and oceanographers understand how climate change could affect creatures like the mermaid’s wineglass. “The beauty of these seep systems is that we can go back to these sites and test these hypotheses,” said Carrington. On the other hand, the thinner skeletons may transmit more sunlight to make food, and neither Newcomb nor her co-authors found snails - a common wineglass muncher - near the CO 2 seeps. Their droopy posture may also make it difficult to disperse offspring. Newcomb and Carrington hypothesize that the less fortified mermaid’s wineglass algae might be more susceptible to damage from ocean currents and grazing by marine animals. Mermaid’s wineglass algae from a site with high carbon dioxide. Newcomb collected fresh samples of the mermaid’s wineglass - both near and far from the seeps - and measured the carbon dioxide levels of the water at each site. The CO 2 seeps were located near Vulcano, an island off the northern coast of Sicily. “She needed to go to Italy to work with live algae,” said Carrington. She measured the composition, morphology and stiffness of preserved algae that Hall-Spencer had collected, and found that algae near the vents were thinner and droopier.īut Newcomb and Carrington worried that the preservative the algae had been stored in might have affected the measurements. Newcomb wondered if mermaid’s wineglass algae growing closer to the seeps had weaker calcium carbonate skeletons. This includes dissolved carbon dioxide, which makes ocean waters near the vents more acidic. Underwater volcanic activity creates CO 2 seeps, which spew gas and minerals into the water column. “But ones found closer to the vents are more brown and green.” “The algae far from the seeps appeared whiter - probably because of their well-developed skeletons,” said Newcomb, who is lead author on the paper. Mermaid’s wineglass algae from an area with normal carbon dioxide levels. “He said the mermaid’s wineglass looks different when it grows close to the seeps, and asked us if anyone might be interested in finding out why.”Ĭarrington and Newcomb, who want to understand how marine organisms adapt to changing environmental conditions, were intrigued by the differences Hall-Spencer reported. “ Jason Hall-Spencer from Plymouth University came to Friday Harbor to talk about his research on underwater carbon dioxide seeps in Europe,” said Carrington. But three years ago a colleague told Carrington and UW biology doctoral student Laura Newcomb that the mermaid’s wineglass grows differently in certain parts of the Mediterranean Sea. No studies had shown if even a slight increase in ocean acidity could weaken the shell of the mermaid’s wineglass. The more acidic the water is, the less calcium carbonate is available to living organisms. Increasing acidity of ocean water disrupts calcium carbonate levels. Its skeleton is thought to deter grazing by predators and keep the alga’s thin stem rigid to support the round reproductive structure on top, said UW biology professor and senior author Emily Carrington. Like many marine creatures, the mermaid’s wineglass sports a supportive skeleton made of calcium carbonate. Reaching a height of just a few inches, this single-celled alga lives on shallow seafloors, where sunlight can still filter down for photosynthesis. The creature in question is Acetabularia acetabulum, commonly called the mermaid’s wineglass. "Mermaids: The Body Found" will air again on June 17 on Animal Planet.Mermaid’s wineglass algae (center, bottom) near the study site. But it belongs on more tabloid channels that don't have any pretensions of scientific or historical credibility." Brad Newsome of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote at the time, "The version that I saw doesn't even do viewers the courtesy of admitting that it's fake until the credits are about to roll," and dismissed the "aquatic ape" theory, a real hypothesis first proposed in 1942 and presented in the show, as "rather fringe." He also wrote, "People love that sort of stuff, I get it. The program aired in Australia in 2011, and the hoax was thoroughly debunked at the time by columnists there. Tweeted Green Bay Packer Tom Crabtree, "If you believed one second of the Animal Planet's 'Mermaids' show, then turn around because Sasquatch is standing behind you." \"Mermaids: The Body Found\" will air again June 17. Others were in on the joke from the start. Department of Justice and Homeland Security. The site also noted a tie-in website,, which features a fake message claiming that the site has been seized by the U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |