Unmanned aerial vehicles and deep learning for assessment of anthropogenic marine debris on beaches on an island in a semi-enclosed sea in Japan

The increasing prevalence of marine debris is a global problem, and urgent action for amelioration is needed. Identifying hotspots where marine debris accumulates will enable effective control; however, knowledge on the location of accumulation hotspots remains incomplete. In particular, marine debris accumulation on beaches is a concern. Surveys of beaches require intensive human effort, and survey methods are not standardized. If marine debris monitoring is conducted using a standardized method, data from different regions can be compared. With an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and deep learning computational methods, monitoring a wide area at a low cost in a standardized way may be possible. In this study, we aimed to identify marine debris on beaches through deep learning using high-resolution UAV images by conducting a survey on Narugashima Island in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. The flight altitude relative to the ground was set to 5 m, and images of a 0.81-ha area were obtained. Flight was conducted twice: before and after the beach cleaning. The combination of UAVs equipped with a zoom lens and operation at a low altitude allows for the acquisition of high resolution images of 1.1 mm/pixel. The training dataset (2970 images) was annotated by using VoTT, categorizing them into two classes: 'anthropogenic marine debris' and 'natural objects.' Using RetinaNet, marine debris was identified with an average sensitivity of 51% and a precision of 76%. In addition, the abundance and area of marine debris coverage were estimated. In this study, it was revealed that the combination of UAVs and deep learning enables the effective identification of marine debris. The effects of cleanup activities by citizens were able to be quantified. This method can widely be used to evaluate the effectiveness of citizen efforts toward beach cleaning and low-cost long-term monitoring

Association of Thioautotrophic Bacteria with Deep-Sea Sponges

We investigated microorganisms associated with a deep-sea sponge, Characella sp. (Pachastrellidae) collected at a hydrothermal vent site (686 m depth) in the Sumisu Caldera, Ogasawara Island chain, Japan, and with two sponges, Pachastrella sp. (Pachastrellidae) and an unidentified Poecilosclerida sponge, collected at an oil seep (572 m depth) in the Gulf of Mexico, using polymerase chain reaction–denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) directed at bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences. In the PCR-DGGE profiles, we detected a single clearly dominant band in each of the Characella sp. and the unidentified Poecilosclerida sponge. BLAST search of their sequences showed that they were most similar (>99% identity) to those of the gammaproteobacterial thioautotrophic symbionts of deep-sea bivalves from hydrothermal vents, Bathymodiolus spp. Phylogenetic analysis of the near-full length sequences of the 16S rRNA genes cloned from the unidentified Poecilosclerida sponge and Characella sp. confirmed that they were closely related to thioautotrophic symbionts. Although associations between sponges and methanotrophic bacteria have been reported previously, this is the first report of a possible stable association between sponges and thioautotrophic bacteria

Evolution and phylogeny of glass-sponge-associated zoantharians, with a description of two new genera and three new species

Hexactinellid sponges are important members of deep-sea benthic ecosystems because they provide available hard substrate habitats for filter-feeding invertebrates. However, symbioses between hexactinellid sponges and their symbionts are poorly known. Zoantharians associated with hexactinellid sponges have been reported widely from deep-sea marine ecosystems, either on the bodies or stalks of hexactinellid sponges. Despite these records, there has been a lack of research on their diversity and phylogenetic relationships. In this study, 20 specimens associated with amphidiscophoran and hexasterophoran sponges were collected from the waters of Australia and Japan in the Pacific, and from Curaçao in the southern Caribbean, and these were examined in addition to museum specimens. Based on molecular phylogenetic analyses and morphological observations, we formally describe two new genera and three new species of Zoantharia and report several previously described species. The results suggest at least two independent origins for the symbioses between hexactinellid sponges and zoantharians. Our results demonstrate that the diversity of hexactinellid sponge-associated zoantharians is much higher than has been previously thought. The new taxa described in this work further reconfirm that the deep-sea harbours high levels of undescribed zoantharian diversity.journal articl

Ecological observations on Thromidia catalai Pope & Rowe, 1977 in the Ogasawara Islands

父島列島の兄島瀬戸における潜水調査によって、オオフトトゲヒトデの大型個体が高密度に生息していることが確認された。また、同所において、ヨツウデデスマカイメン属の一種（Theonella sp.）を摂食する本種個体およびその食痕が複数確認された。一方、聟島列島の三ノ岩においては腕を引きちぎられたオオフトトゲヒトデが確認され、本種の被食が示唆された。Our diving surveys at Anijima Seto strait on the Ogasawara Islands confirmed the presence of a high density of large individuals of Thromidia catalai. In the same area, several individuals of the species were feeding on sponges (Theonella sp.) and their feeding marks were also observed. On the other hand, an individual of T. catalai with its arm torn off was observed at San’noiwa, Mukojima Islands, suggesting that this species is preyed on predators.departmental bulletin pape

陸域観測-モデル連携 : GTMIP stage 1入力・検証用データセット（Kevo・Tiksi）

第6回極域科学シンポジウム分野横断セッション：[IA] 急変する北極気候システム及びその全球的な影響の総合的解明―GRENE北極気候変動研究事業研究成果報告2015―11月19日（木）　国立極地研究所１階交流アトリウ

A novel sponge-derived protein thrombocorticin is a new agonist for thrombopoietin receptor

We screened 868 marine extracts in search of hematopoietic molecules resulted in findings of several extracts that proliferated Ba/F3-HuMpl cells but not the cells expressed with other hematopoietic cytokine receptors, EPO and G-CSF. Separation of the most potent extract of a Micronesian sponge Corticium sp., guided by the cell proliferation assay using Ba/F3-HuMpl cells resulted in an isolation of thrombocorticin (ThC), a novel 14 kDa protein as an active principal. ThC displayed concentration-dependent proliferation of Ba/F3-HuMpl cells, and had a stronger activity than that of eltrombopag, a small molecule drug used to treat thrombocytopenia. ThC induced phosphorylation of STAT5, suggesting that it activates Jak/STAT pathway as in the case of TPO. These results together indicated that ThC is a specific agonist for c-Mpl, although the size and shape differs largely from TPO. Here we present isolation, characterization and biological activity of ThC

First record of Hamacantha (Porifera, Demospongiae, Merliida, Hamacanthidae) from Japan, with description of two new species

Ise, Yuji, Woo, Sau Pinn, Tan, Shau Hwai, Fujita, Toshihiko (2019): First record of Hamacantha (Porifera, Demospongiae, Merliida, Hamacanthidae) from Japan, with description of two new species. Zootaxa 4657 (3): 474-482, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4657.3.

First record of the genus Discorhabdella (Porifera, Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida, Crambeidae) from Sagami Bay, Japan with description of two new species

Two new species of Discorhabdella are described from Sagami Bay, Japan. Discorhabdella has been suggested to have an ancient Tethyan origin according to discovery of their unique pseudoastrose acanthostyles from late Eocene to Oligocene deposits. This is the first record of the genus from the northwest Pacific and first record of the family Crambeidae from Japan. Discorhabdella hispida sp. nov. is distinctive within the genus by possession of special sigmoid microscleres and C-shaped isochelae with short alae. Discorhabdella misakiensis sp. nov. is characterized by short choanosomal subtylostyles, and their length overlapped with that of the ectosomal subtylostyles. Only one other species, Discorhabdella tuberosocapitata (Topsent, 1890), has the same spicule composition. However, all spicule types are larger in D. tuberosocapitata than those of D. misakiensis sp. nov., and the shape of the isochelae is different: the alae are more widely opened in D. tuberosocapitata. An identification key to species of the genus Discorhabdella is also provided. The discovery of two new species from warm temperate northwest Pacific extends the geographical distribution of the genus Discorhabdella