Marine Life Talk: Secret life of a new brittlestar from the antarctic deep sea Seminar
- Time:
- 19:30
- Date:
- 5 July 2012
- Venue:
- National Oceanography Centre Southampton
For more information regarding this seminar, please telephone National Oceanogrpahy Centre Southampton on +44 (0)23 8059 6666 .
Event details
Brittlestars or ophiuroids are close relatives of the starfish you find in rock pools along Britain's shores and can be found in many marine environments, including the deep sea where they are often important contributors to the sea-floor community.
The deep sea covers a vast proportion of our planet yet is poorly understood and new species are continually being discovered. The brittlestars in this talk were found in a recently discovered crater in the Antarctic deep sea, close to an area of active hydrothermal vents. The brittlestars are probably new species, with nothing being known about their ecology. This talk explores their ecology for the first time, including their population structure, reproduction and diet. The continual discovery of new species, such as these brittlestars from the Antarctic deep sea, demonstrates how little we know about this fascinating environment and just how much there is left to discover.
Further information
This talk is open to members of the public, staff and students. Admission is free.
Visitors attending the talk should arrive at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton at 7.15pm to be met in Reception
The National Oceanography Centre Southampton can be reached via Dock Gate 4 (between Town Quay and Ocean Village).
The talks are accessible via stairs or a lift. Since the lift cannot be used in an emergency, evacuation of less able visitors is down the stairs via an evacuation chair. You are therefore required to notify us in advance of the presence of a wheelchair user or anyone with access issues likely to require use of an evacuation chair.
Links to external websites
The University cannot accept responsibility for external websites.
Speaker information
Rachel Boschen,is a final year student of an integrated undergraduate masters in marine biology at University of Southampton. She has spoken in the marine life talk series three times previously and has been co-organiser for talks since January 2011. This will be her last marine life talk, as she is leaving for New Zealand at the end of July to study for a PhD in the ecological effects of seafloor massive sulphide mining.