Muck Dwellers, Is there much difference in the animal life you find with van Veen vs. Options

[Jim Markowich]

Hi Patty,

When the muck gets rinsed away, is there much difference between the animals that are found in the van Veen grabs and the ones found in the HAPS core?

Can you take a photo of the animals found in each?

The photos in your journal have been great! Although it's a far cry from actually being onboard (no pitch and roll on the internet), they really do give the flavor of what you're up to.

Jim

[Patricia_Janes]

Hi Jim,

So good to hear from you!

Great question! The van Veen grab lifts up a larger sample, so it is probably more representative of the diversity and quantity of animals in the seafloor. However, the same animals come up in the HAPS and van Veen. But we don't rinse off the mud from the HAPS core like we do for the grabs so I can't get a picture of that for you. In fact, the scientists take great pain to preserve the muck as best as they can when they take it from the corer. But I will post a photo of a van Veen grab catch for you to take a look at. I'll stick it in the photo gallery labeled: "In answer to Jim's question". When Jackie, the lead scientist, studies the sample from the HAPS core, she is looking more at the interaction of the animals with the water/sediment, so basically it's more of a look at the exchange of oxygen, carbon, etc.

Take care,
Patty


We picked up this barnacle-covered rock in a van Veen grab. In addition to the barnacles, it held bryozoans, brittle stars, sea urchins, crabs, and sea worms.


After washing away the muck from the van Veen grab, small sea worms, worm casings, clams, and red amphipods are left.