 compare the genomes of trench animals to piece together how they have evolved to live successfully in trenches. "Our challenge is to determine whether life in the trenches holds novel evolutionary pathways that are distinct from others in the ocean," he said.
Hydrostatic pressure, which at depths found in ocean trenches can be up to 1,100 times that at the surface, is known to inhibit the activity of certain proteins. Paul Yancey from Whitman College will be investigating the role that piezolytes—small molecules that protect proteins from pressure—play in the adaptation of trench animals. The use of piezolytes, which was developed and discovered by Yancey and his students, is a novel hypothesis and attempts to explain previous findings that not all deep-sea proteins are able to evolve resistance to pressure within their structures.
"We are trying to discover how life can function under massive pressures in the hadal zones. This is incredibly important because pressure might very well be the primary factor determining what species are able to live in these extreme environments," Yancey said.
In addition to deep-sea life with novel adaptations, there is also evidence to suggest that trenches act as carbon sinks, making the research also relevant to climate change studies. The V-shaped topography along trench axes funnels resources—including surface-derived organic carbon—downwards.
"The bulk of our knowledge of trenches is only from snapshot visits using mostly trawls and camera landers," Shank said. "Only detailed systematic studies will advance our biological understanding and also reveal the role trenches may play as the final location of where most of the carbon and other chemicals get sequestered in our ocean, which ultimately impacts the global carbon budget and climate."
"That's what makes this project so exciting," he added. "This work will provide great insight into our understanding about life on Earth. This type of research simply wouldn't happen without support from the National Science Foundation."
Molecular Ecology & Evolution Lab at WHOI
National Science Foundation
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
National Oceanography Centre at the University of Southampton
University of Aberdeen
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of Oregon
The School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa was established by the Board of Regents of the University of Hawai‘i in 1988 in recognition of the need to realign and further strengthen the excellent education and research resources available within the University. SOEST brings together four academic departments, three research institutes, several federal cooperative programs, and support facilities of the highest quality in the nation to meet challenges in the ocean, earth and planetary sciences and technologies.
For more information, visit: www.soest.hawaii.edu