A Moment of Silence
Taconya D. Piper
A Walk Through 'Forcepia-land' Gary K. Wolfe Video of Forcepia, not just your ordinary sponge. (QuickTime, 1 Mb) The site we all call Forcepia-land -- last visited by scientists from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution 15 yrs ago, in 1988 -- has a visitor once again. The ROV (remotely operated vehicle) Innovator is looking to bring back some of the local residents in the name of science. Since our first dive at this site, two days ago, we have been actively searching for Forcepia without much luck. Some members of the scientific party were concerned that a shrimp trawler might have come through and damaged the system, making the bright orange sponge difficult to locate. But today we finally located the elusive creature. When the ROV arrived back on the deck and the 5-gal collection buckets were escorted to the wet lab, everyone was eager to open the lids and see the prize. It was quite a funny sight. Even the captain of the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown commented on the scientists' excitement as they waited to open the buckets.
Yes, we had finally found our sought after Forcepia. They were beautiful. The fist-sized, bright orange sponges were perfect for the scientists to conduct all of their experiments. As it turned out, the scientists collected more than enough to conduct all of their studies. Many experiments are being performed on the Forcepia while we are at sea. From cell isolation and culture to DNA extraction and other microbiological tests, there is enough work to keep everyone busy for the next few hours. Not only did we collect enough Forcepia to conduct all of the experiments, we also collected bryozoans and ascidians. Many more hours of work are needed to get the desired results, and all of the scientists are working extremely hard. Microbiology is a very precise science, and all experiments require careful preparation. The slightest error during any step could render undesirable results.
A few hours after the samples from the first dive were collected and processed, the ROV was back in the water on a mission to find more sponges. On this dive, it collected organisms including Mycalie, Stelletida, Axinellida, the Gorgonia Swiftia sp., and a Choristida with spicules so sharp they broke through the two pairs of gloves I was wearing.
The science party, Sonsub Inc.'s ROV pilots and technicians, and the C&C technicians have been working extremely hard to make sure that each dive is successful. Their professionalism combined with many levels of expertise have made this mission great. The ROV pilots and technicians have perfected their sampling and handling techniques so that it seems as if they collect marine organisms all the time. With more work ahead of them, the Harbor Branch scientists hope that Forcepia-land will yield cancer-fighting compounds that will improve the quality of life for millions. Sign up for the Ocean Explorer E-mail Update List. |
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