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Water Animal That Looks Like a Butterfly

The shelled body of water butterfly Hyalocylis striata can be found in the warm surface waters of the ocean around the world. © Karen Osborn

The chemical science of the ocean is changing. Well-nigh climate modify discussion focuses on the warmth of the air, but around one-quarter of the carbon dioxide nosotros release into the temper dissolves into the bounding main. Dissolved carbon dioxide makes seawater more acidic—a process called ocean acidification—and its furnishings accept already been observed: the shells of sea butterflies, also known equally pteropods, have begun dissolving in the Antarctic.

Tiny sea butterflies are related to snails, merely use their muscular pes to swim in the h2o instead of pitter-patter along a surface. Many species take thin, hard shells made of calcium carbonate that are particularly sensitive to changes in the ocean's acidity. Their sensitivity and cosmopolitan nature make them an attracting study group for scientists who want to improve understand how acidification will touch on body of water organisms. Merely some pteropod species are proving to practise just fine in more acidic h2o, while others take shells that dissolve quickly. Then why do some species perish while others thrive?

It's a difficult question to reply when scientists tin hardly tell pteropod species apart in the commencement identify. The cone-shaped pteropod shown here is in a group of shelled body of water butterflies chosen thecosomes, from the Greek for "encased trunk." In that location are two other groups: the pseudothecosomes have gelatinous shells, and the gymnosomes ("naked body") take none at all. Within these groups it tin be difficult to tell who's who, peculiarly when relying on looks alone. Scientists at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History are using genetics to uncover the differences amidst the species.

This try is led by zoologistKaren Osborn, who has a existent knack for photography: in college, she struggled over whether to major in art or scientific discipline. Afterwards collecting living animals while SCUBA diving in the open up ocean, she brings them back to the research ship and photographs each in a shallow tank of clear water with a Canon 5D camera with a 65mm lens, using 3 to four flashes to capture the colors of the by and large-transparent critters. The photographs have scientific use—to capture never-earlier-recorded images of the living animals—and to "inspire interest in these weird, wild animals," she said. All of these photos were taken in the Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Mexico and California.

This gymnosome (Pneumodermopsis sp.) pulls shelled pteropods from their shells with a set up of suckers. © Karen Osborn

Although sea butterflies in the gymnosome group, similar the one seen above, don't take shells and are therefore non susceptible to the dangers of ocean acidification, their unabridged nutrition consists of shelled pteropods. If atmospheric COii continues to rise due to theburning of fossil fuels and, in turn, theocean becomes more acidic, their casualty source may disappear—indirectly endangering these stunning predators and all the fish, squid and other animals that feed on the gymnosomes.

For years, bounding main butterflies were but collected past cyberspace. When collected this way, the animals (such equallyCavolinia uncinata above) retract their fleshy "wings" and bodies into pencil eraser-sized shells, which often break in the procedure. Researchers then driblet the nerveless pteropods into small jars of alcohol for preservation, which causes the soft parts to shrivel—leaving backside merely the beat. Scientists try to sort the sea butterflies into species by comparing the shells lonely, just without existence able to meet the whole animals, they may miss the full diverseness of pteropods.

Sea butterflies — This may be the aforementioned species every bit the previous sea butterfly (Cavolinia uncinata), or information technology could be a dissimilar species that has gone unnoticed for decades. © Karen Osborn

More recently, scientists such equally Osborn and Smithsonian researcherStephanie Bush take begun collecting specimens by mitt while SCUBA diving in the open up sea. Thisblue-water diving allows her to collect and photograph delicate organisms. Equally she and her colleagues observe living organisms in more item, they are realizing that animals they had thought were the same species, in fact, may not be! This shelled pteropod (Cavolinia uncinata)is considered the same species as the ane in the previous photograph. Because their fleshy parts wait so dissimilar, however, Bush-league is analyzing each specimen'south genetic code to establish whether they really are the same species.

Mass of Cavolinia uncinata eggs © Karen Osborn

This string of eggs shot out ofCavolinia uncinata when information technology was beingness observed nether the microscope. The eggs are fastened to ane another in a gelled mass, and, had they non been self-contained in a petri dish, would take floated through the water until the new pteropods emerged as larvae. Their reproduction methods aren't well studied, but we know that pteropods starting time off as males and once they reach a certain size switch over to females. This sexual organisation, known as sequential hermaphroditism, may heave reproduction considering bigger females can produce more eggs.

In the Arctic, this pteropod species (Limacina helicina) can compose half of the zooplankton swimming in the h2o cavalcade. © Karen Osborn

This pteropod ( Limacina helicina ) has taken a beating from being pulled through a trawl net: you tin can see the cleaved edges of its beat out. An abundant species with black flesh, each of these bounding main butterflies are the size of a big grain of sand. In certain conditions they "blossom" and, when fish eat also many, the pteropod'southward black coloring stains the fishes'guts black.

Not only is the inside of this crush home to a pteropod ( Clio recurva ), but the outside houses a colony of hydroids—the pocket-sized pinkish flower-like animals connected by transparent tubing all over the shell.Hydroids, small, predatory animals related to jellyfish, demand to attach to a surface in the middle of the sea to build their colony, and the tiny crush ofClio is the perfect landing site. While it's a dainty habitat for the hydroids, this beat out probably provides less than platonic protection for the pteropod: the opening is so large that a well equipped predator, such as larger shell-less pteropods, can likely merely reach in and pull it out. "I would want a better house, personally," says Osborn.

Gymnosomes are pteropods that lack shells and take a nutrition well-nigh entirely composed of shelled pteropods. This species ( Clione limacina ), exclusively feeds onLimacina helicina (the black-fleshed pteropod a few slides back). They grab their shelled relative with 6 tentacle-similar arms, and then use grasping jaws to suck their meal out of the shell.

This post was written by Emily Frost and Hannah Waters. Learn more nigh the bounding main from theSmithsonian'south Body of water Portal.