A Carcinologist’s Dream!

As someone studying cumacean biodiversity around Antarctica, I was initially concerned that the Ross Sea might not be as abundant or diverse as the other two regions—the West Antarctic Peninsula and East Antarctic. I’m happy to report that this is no longer a concern! The Ross Sea has been a carcinologist’s (a scientist who studies crustaceans) dream.

Each sample has not only contained an abundance of cumaceans, but one sample even yielded 17 species! We have now completed ten successful EBS deployments, allowing us to start noticing trends in species richness. That said, we’re still discovering species we haven’t collected before, making each sample feel like a treasure hunt.
​
So far, we’ve identified two new-to-science species. This means that while the specimens fit into previously described genera, their species have not yet been described in the literature. As a result, they are listed as n. sp., or "new species." What I find especially fascinating is that these two new species were also collected during our 2023 cruise to the East Antarctic. This raises further questions about their distribution and dispersal, given their poor swimming ability. Could this indicate population structure (i.e., distinct genetic clusters), or is gene flow occurring due to ocean currents connecting populations? This is what I hope to discovery!

Stay tuned!

Victoria Vandersommen
University of Alaska Anchorage