Increasing knowledge of biodiversity on the Orphan Seamount: a new species of Tedania (Tedaniopsis) Dendy, 1924

A new Tedania species (Porifera) was collect using remotely operated vehicles during the Canadian mission HUD2010-029 and the British RRS Discovery Cruise DY081, on the Orphan Seamount near the Orphan Knoll, northwest Atlantic, between 2999.88 and 3450.4 m depth. Orphan Knoll is an isolated, drowned continental fragment 550 km northeast Newfoundland in the Labrador Sea. This region is biologically rich and complex and in 2007, the regional fisheries management organization operating in the area regulated that no vessel shall engage in bottom-contact fishing activities until reviewed in 2020 with a review slated at the end of this year. Members of the genus Tedania are uncommon in the temperate northern hemisphere with only six species known previously: Tedania (Tedania) anhelans; Tedania (Tedania) pilarriosae; Tedania (Tedania) suctoria; Tedania (Tedania) urgorrii; Tedania (Tedaniopsis) gurjanovae; and Tedania (Tedaniopsis) phacellina. The particular features of the new sponge we describe are the very peculiar external morphology which is tree-like with dichotomous branching—a morphology not previously described in this subgenus; and the combination of spicules found: long styles, the typical tornotes of the subgenus and two sizes of onychaetes. Additional information is provided on other species of Tedaniopsis described from the Atlantic Ocean. Based on the characteristics reported, we propose a new species, Tedania (Tedaniopsis) rappi sp. nov. in honor of Prof. Hans Tore Rapp (1972–2020), University of Bergen, Norway, a renowned sponge taxonomist and coordinator of the Horizon 2020 SponGES project. The holotype of T. (T.) phacellina Topsent, 1912 from the Azores, the only other northern Atlantic species in the subgenus Tedaniopsis, was reviewed for comparison.Postprin

Enhanced cellular preservation by clay minerals in 1 billion-year-old lakes

The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep05841Organic-walled microfossils provide the best insights into the composition and evolution of the biosphere through the first 80 percent of Earth history. The mechanism of microfossil preservation affects the quality of biological information retained and informs understanding of early Earth palaeo-environments. We here show that 1 billion-year-old microfossils from the non-marine Torridon Group are remarkably preserved by a combination of clay minerals and phosphate, with clay minerals providing the highest fidelity of preservation. Fe-rich clay mostly occurs in narrow zones in contact with cellular material and is interpreted as an early microbially-mediated phase enclosing and replacing the most labile biological material. K-rich clay occurs within and exterior to cell envelopes, forming where the supply of Fe had been exhausted. Clay minerals inter-finger with calcium phosphate that co-precipitated with the clays in the sub-oxic zone of the lake sediments. This type of preservation was favoured in sulfate-poor environments where Fe-silicate precipitation could outcompete Fe-sulfide formation. This work shows that clay minerals can provide an exceptionally high fidelity of microfossil preservation and extends the known geological range of this fossilization style by almost 500 Ma. It also suggests that the best-preserved microfossils of this time may be found in low-sulfate environments

Contrasting microfossil preservation and lake chemistries within the 1200–1000 Ma Torridonian Supergroup of NW Scotland

We acknowledge the Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility at the Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, a facility funded by the University, State and Commonwealth Governments. DW acknowledges funding from the European Commission and the Australian Research Council. This is publication number 838 from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems.Publisher PD

Enhanced cellular preservation by clay minerals in 1 billion-year-old lakes

Organic-walled microfossils provide the best insights into the composition and evolution of the biosphere through the first 80 percent of Earth history. The mechanism of microfossil preservation affects the quality of biological information retained and informs understanding of early Earth palaeo-environments. We here show that 1 billion-year-old microfossils from the non-marine Torridon Group are remarkably preserved by a combination of clay minerals and phosphate, with clay minerals providing the highest fidelity of preservation. Fe-rich clay mostly occurs in narrow zones in contact with cellular material and is interpreted as an early microbially-mediated phase enclosing and replacing the most labile biological material. K-rich clay occurs within and exterior to cell envelopes, forming where the supply of Fe had been exhausted. Clay minerals inter-finger with calcium phosphate that co-precipitated with the clays in the sub-oxic zone of the lake sediments. This type of preservation was favoured in sulfate-poor environments where Fe-silicate precipitation could outcompete Fe-sulfide formation. This work shows that clay minerals can provide an exceptionally high fidelity of microfossil preservation and extends the known geological range of this fossilization style by almost 500 Ma. It also suggests that the best-preserved microfossils of this time may be found in low-sulfate environments.David Wacey, Martin Saunders, Malcolm Roberts, Sarath Menon, Leonard Green, Charlie Kong, Timothy Culwick, Paul Strother, Martin D. Brasie

Collection data of the new species Tedania (Tedaniopsis) rappi (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida, Tedaniidae)

We report the first records of the new species Tedania (Tedaniopsis) rappi (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida, Tedaniidae) from the Orphan Seamount, between 2999.88 and 3449.629 m in depth

A Pictorial Guide to the Epibenthic Megafauna of Orphan Knoll (northwest Atlantic) Identified from In Situ Benthic Video Footage

In 2010, Fisheries and Oceans Canada led a multidisciplinary oceanographic research mission onboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Hudson to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Regulatory Area to collect benthic imagery and geological data in support of the identification of vulnerable marine ecosystems. Using the remotely operated vehicle ROPOS, six benthic video transects were collected on Orphan Knoll, a submerged circular continental fragment located 550 km northeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland. High-resolution video footage, digital still images, and specimen samples were collected between 1655 and 3004 m depth across the flanks and plateau of the knoll and Orphan Seamount. In 2007, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization implemented a ~15,800 km2 closure over Orphan Knoll to restrict the use of bottom- tending fishing gear in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/105. However, at the time, its benthic communities and the presence of vulnerable marine ecosystems had not been fully assessed. Here we present a pictorial guide to the epibenthic megafauna enumerated and taxonomically identified from five ROPOS transects collected on Orphan Knoll and Orphan Seamount. The purpose of this report is to provide a visual representation and taxonomic nomenclature scheme of the epibenthic megafauna of Orphan Knoll for use in future monitoring of the benthic communities of this unique topographic feature.En 2010, Pêches et Océans Canada a mené une mission de recherche océanographique multidisciplinaire à bord du navire de la Garde côtière canadienne Hudson dans la zone de réglementation de l’Organisation des pêches de l’Atlantique Nord-Ouest, afin de recueillir des données géologiques et d’imagerie benthique pour appuyer l’identification des écosystèmes marins vulnérables. À l’aide d’un véhicule télécommandé ROPOS, des images vidéo de six transects benthiques ont été recueillies sur le dôme Orphan, un fragment continental circulaire submergé situé à 550 km au nord-est de St. John’s (Terre Neuve). Des séquences vidéo à haute résolution, des images fixes numériques et des échantillons ont été recueillis à des profondeurs de 1 655 m à 3 004 m sur les flancs et le plateau du dôme et du mont sous-marin Orphan. En 2007, l’Organisation des pêches de l’Atlantique Nord-Ouest a mis en place une fermeture d’approximativement 15 800 km2 sur le dôme Orphan afin de restreindre l’utilisation des engins de pêche de fond conformément à la résolution 61/105 de l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies. Toutefois, à cette époque, ses communautés benthiques ainsi que la présence d’écosystèmes marins vulnérables n’avaient pas encore été pleinement évaluées. Nous présentons ici un guide illustré de la mégafaune épibenthique recensée et identifiée sur le plan taxonomique d’après les données de cinq transects obtenues au moyen du véhicule ROPOS sur le dôme et le mont sous-marin Orphan. Le présent rapport vise à fournir une représentation visuelle et un schéma de la nomenclature taxonomique de la mégafaune épibenthique du dôme Orphan, qui pourront être utilisés ultérieurement pour le suivi des communautés benthiques qui peuplent cette entité topographique unique