Dies ist der offizielle Blog der Jellyweb Expedition (MSM126) zur Erforschung der biologischen Vielfalt und der Nahrungsnetze der Tiefsee um die Insel Madeira. More info
The last blog posts showed you scary-looking deep-sea fishes, gelatinous beauties and mesmerizing microscopic organisms. Another frequent organism group we captured during MSM126 which did not enjoy a spotlight so far are the cephalopods. Cephalopods are molluscs – like snails or mussels – and are marine inhabitants which often occupy high trophic positions in food […]
As part of our cruise MSM126 focus on the “jellyweb”, we are also interested in siphonophores. Even in the vast and mysterious world of marine life teeming with peculiar inhabitants, these distinctive creatures stand out. While they share similarities with jellyfish, particularly in having stinging cells known as cnidocysts, they do not look much like […]
by Karen Osborn I am a marine biologist because of the to infrequent time at sea and my fascination with the animals that inhabit our ocean. There was a time though that I considered following a different path, that of an artist. Though I chose science and leave painting and sculpture to my almost nonexistent […]
Von Karen Osborn Ich bin Meeresbiologin, weil ich gerne auf See bin und mich die Tiere, die unsere Ozeane bewohnen, faszinieren. Es gab jedoch eine Zeit, als ich mir durchaus vorstellen konnte, einen ganz anderen Weg einzuschlagen, den Weg der Künstlerin. Obwohl ich mich für die Wissenschaft entschieden habe (und das Malen und die Bildhauerei […]
It’s ten o’clock in the evening, the research vessel MARIA S. MERIAN is moored off the coast of Madeira. The bridge gives the announcement: “On station in about ten minutes”. And off we go for another night of yo-yo CTD cruising. As we mentioned in a previous blog post, today we’re diving deep into why […]
We explore the entire tree of life on the research vessel MARIA S. MERIAN: animals, algae, bacteria, and viruses. The cruise focuses on the food web and ocean biodiversity. However, some animals, especially hunters such as squid and whales, are too big, fast or camera-shy for our instruments. To detect these top predators, we search […]
One of the aims of the MSM126 expedition, embarked on its journey of discovery, is to shed light on gelatinous zooplankton diversity in Madeira water. In this regard, one particular focus lies on the enigmatic group of the thaliaceans (open-water tunicates in English and Manteltiere in German), often referred to as the enigmatic drifters of […]