Ultimate workshop for hyperbenthic copepods (HYPCOP)

Our first worldwide workshop with from ltr; Anders Hobæk (NIVA), Cessa Rauch & Jon Kongsrud (UMB), Tone Falkenhaug (undertaking chief, IMR), Alexandra Savchenko & Rony Huys (NHM), picture by Alexandra Savchenko

Over the past week of September, HYPCOP organized its final and essential workshop for ending the undertaking. We invited worldwide collaborators Prof. Dr. Rony Huys and Dr. Alexandra Savchenko from the Pure Historical past Museum in London. Prof. Dr. Huys is a well known copepod taxonomist and crustacean researcher and revealed a large number of species descriptions and books together with key identification guides. We had been very pleased to listen to he had time to come back and journey to Bergen, paying us a go to whereas additionally serving to us with species identifications of the various, many copepods we had collected in the course of the two years of our undertaking.

In the course of the two years of the HYPCOP undertaking we collected round 600 specimens from completely different localities throughout Norway, together with shallow coastal waters and the deeper elements of the mid-Atlantic Ridge (Loki’s Fort discipline of lively hydrothermal vents). From all these specimens we extracted DNA from the delicate tissue of the animal. Subsequently, retaining the arduous exoskeletons, for morphological identification downstream. That is essentially the most time consuming and difficult half. The species can generally solely be recognized primarily based on minuscule variations within the look of its legs. In addition to, one wants good taxonomic competence to assign these variations to the hundreds of marine benthic copepods species. And that is the place the HYPCOP staff wanted assist.

HYPCOP began in Could 2020, when numerous international locations, together with Norway, had been in a lockdown and worldwide journey was tough and even unattainable. Subsequently, it was problematic for HYPCOP to ask worldwide researchers for more often than not. Thus, we centered totally on extracting DNA from our collected specimens and build up a barcode library. However what was lacking was the nomenclature of the majority of the specimens. When lastly, our first worldwide researchers might come and take a look at our specimens, it turned out to be an unlimited job. With the assistance of Prof. Dr. Huys and Dr. Savchenko we managed now to have virtually 300 assigned names to our DNA library of 500 specimens. Fairly just a few of these are new species and even new genera.

Kickoff of the workshop, which might happen at Marine Organic Station Espegrend throughout every week, picture by Alexandra Savchenko

Rony and Alexandra arrived Sunday night in Bergen along with undertaking chief Tone Falkenhaug and undertaking technician Cessa. We had been stationed on the Espegrend marine organic station in Bergen for the whole lot of the week. It was for Tone and Cessa the primary time they might lastly meet Rony and Alexandra in particular person, after many months of digital communication. It was a pleasant stress-free first night. The subsequent day Anders Hobæk from NIVA and Jon Kongsrud from the UiB joined and we began off the week with a presentation overview of the undertaking.

The overview knowledgeable everybody about this system of the week and the cutting-edge of the undertaking. With the DNA barcode library, we managed to assemble a COI phylogenetic tree. A number of the bigger clades had been already recognized all the way down to species stage, however many extra species names had been lacking from the smaller clades. It was as much as us that week along with Rony and Alexandra to determine these final instances.

Alexandra onboard analysis vessel Emiliana, picture by Tone Falkenhaug

We additionally had someday of fieldwork deliberate, to have us work additionally with some contemporary materials. This we did with assist of analysis vessel Emiliana and the Beyer’s sled. Each stationed at Espegrend Marine Organic station. We tried to select a pleasant and dry day for going out with the boat and that occurred to be within the mid of the week. We went a bit of bit exterior of the Organic Station, with a depth of round 90 – 120m. The Beyer’s sled is an epibenthic sampler, it’s known as a sled for its type. We received many contemporary samples, however due the online being a bit of giant in its mesh measurement, we didn’t get as many small species as we preferred.

Subsequently, we additionally tried one other sampling methodology with assist of Anders; he had introduced with him a lightweight lure. Mild traps are very straightforward to DIY with a bottle and inverted bottle opening, like a funnel, and a small led gentle on the underside. You put in the lure within the water in a single day; the little led gentle attracts numerous small hyperbenthic and planktonic (and a few larger) species.

Everybody working arduous on the Marine Organic Station Espegrend, assigning species names to specimens, picture by Cessa Rauch

The whole lot of the week consisted of many hours working on the microscope, going by way of literature, dissecting specimens, and assigning species names to the specimens. Ultimately with assist of Rony and Alexandra, we managed to assign 298 scientific names to 702 specimens in our assortment. From these specimens, we extracted DNA from 593 specimens and produced a DNA library, which we uploaded to the BOLDSYSTEMS (Barcode of Life Knowledge System). This library additionally has all of the metadata of our specimens, corresponding to location, depth, measurement, and photos of the specimens (both life, mounted and in some instances elements). And it will likely be publicly accessible on the finish of the HYPCOP undertaking.

The week was demanding however very rewarding and we received many specimens recognized, with even just a few new species and genera to Norway and presumably new to science; all because of the arduous work and assist of Rony and Alexandra. We subsequently additionally want to take this chance to thank them once more for his or her time and efforts in serving to the HYPCOP undertaking transfer ahead! Till subsequent time.

Rony Huys and Alexandra Savchenko serving to the HYPCOP undertaking transfer ahead, picture by Tone Falkenhaug

– Cessa