Sweeping the ocean floor at hundreds of points throughout the world, researchers have revealed an astonishing diversity of microscopic life thriving in the deepest and darkest parts of our planet.
The current analysis mostly looked for smaller-sized organisms, like diatoms and dinoflagellates, and tiny animals, like worms and small molluscs. The diversity of plankton found matches other evidence suggesting the deep sea is also home to a diversity of larger animals.
The tiniest creatures, however, are often the glue that holds food webs together. They are also critical regulators of the global climate, helping to bury carbon in the deep ocean.
Recent evidence, for example, has found deep-sea plankton can be preserved in sediment just below the seafloor. This leaves open the possibility that we can compare benthic life forms today to life forms of the distant past, to see how these deep-sea communities are faring in a rapidly changing world.
Given how much life is at stake, the authors are calling for further exploration of the seafloor to understand better and protect these deep-sea ecosystems. That's especially important now that commercial deep-sea mining is
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