Судлаачид Бермудын агуйн экосистемээс өмнө нь тодорхойлогдоогүй байсан копепод төрлийн шинэ амьтныг илрүүлсэн нь тус бүс нутгийн биологийн төрөл зүйлийг хамгаалах шаардлагатайг харуулж байна.
Бермудын их сургууль, Бермудын далай судлалын хүрээлэн болон Германы Senckenberg am Meer далайн биологийн төвийн эрдэмтэд Walsingham агуйн системээс Tetragoniceps bermudensis хэмээх копепод шинэ зүйлийг нээжээ. Энэхүү жижиг хавч хэлбэртэн нь дэлхий даяарх копеподын төрөл зүйл дотроос агуйд амьдардаг анхны төлөөлөгч гэдгээрээ онцлог юм.
Судлаачид 2016 онд Бермудын шохойн чулуун бүтэц бүхий Roadside агуйн нарийн хонгилоор нэвтрэн дээж цуглуулсан байна. Олон жилийн нарийвчилсан шинжилгээний үр дүнд 2024 онд уг амьтныг цоо шинэ зүйл болохыг эцэслэн тогтоожээ. Эрдэмтэн Жованни Муссинигийн тайлбарласнаар, энэ нь тус төрлийн хувьд Бермудаас олдсон анхны, харин Tetragonicipitidae язгуурын хувьд дэлхий даяар бүртгэгдсэн хоёр дахь тохиолдол болж байна.
Одоогоор зөвхөн өндөг тээж явсан нэг эмэгчин бодгаль олдсон нь тус зүйлийн тархац хязгаарлагдмал бөгөөд зөвхөн тухайн бүс нутагт нутагладаг байж болзошгүйг харуулж байна. Эрдэмтэд энэхүү эмзэг экосистемийг хотжилт, бохирдол болон хууль бус нэвтрэлтээс хамгаалах зорилгоор албан ёсны хамгаалалтад авахыг уриалж байна. Энэхүү нээлт нь хүн ам шигүү суурьшсан бүс нутгийн далд агуйнуудад одоог хүртэл шинжлэх ухаанд үл мэдэгдэх олон төрөл зүйл нуугдаж байж болохыг онцолж байгаа юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Scientists have identified a new species of copepod living in a small limestone cave in Bermuda, a creature collected years before anyone confirmed what it was. Named Tetragoniceps bermudensis, it is the first known cave-dwelling member of its genus anywhere in the world. Its discovery has also prompted a call to protect the fragile site where it was found.
Bermuda’s Walsingham cave system is home to a rich variety of animals found nowhere else on Earth. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, and the Senckenberg am Meer German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research have now added one more species to that list.
Copepods are among the most diverse crustaceans, living in habitats from freshwater ponds to the open ocean. They are some of the most abundant animals in marine plankton and play a vital role in global food webs. Still, much of their diversity remains unknown, especially in hard-to-reach environments like underground chambers.
From a Narrow Passage to a New Species
The copepod was first collected in 2016 by Sahar Khodami, Pedro Martinez Arbizu, and Leocadio Blanco-Bercial, of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and the Senckenberg am Meer German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research. The team reached Roadside Cave through a narrow passage in Bermuda’s ancient limestone bedrock.
Confirmation took a while. The specimen was collected in 2016, but it was not until 2024 that detailed analysis established the animal as a completely new species. Its name, bermudensis, comes from the country where it was found, a nod to the island whose limestone caves continue to turn up creatures found nowhere else.
Why This Particular Copepod Stands Out?
The find comes with several firsts. According to lead author Giovanni Mussini of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences, the species is “the first of its genus from Bermuda,” as well as the first known cave-dwelling species of the genus anywhere in the world and “only the second within its family, Tetragonicipitidae.” Mussini also places the discovery in a wider context. He says that:
“This finding from Roadside Cave adds to the great diversity of endemic crustaceans (and other cave fauna) found in the island’s network of limestone caves.”
Like other members of the site of the discovery, the copepod may be an ancient, early-diverging member of its evolutionary group. Alongside other ancient crustaceans in Bermuda’s passage, it has survived in a secluded and fragile underground ecosystem with few predators or competitors.
A Rare Find That Needs Protection
However, the team found only one female, and she was carrying eggs. It is hard to estimate just how rare the species is from a single specimen. Even so, the researchers write in the journal ZooKeys that the find suggests “a correspondingly limited area and a probable endemic status,” in line with the high degree of endemism typical of Bermuda’s cave-dwelling fauna.
Roadside Cave is a small subterranean chamber, but it faces several threats. As the researchers explained, urban development, vandalism, trash, pollution, and people or domestic animals entering the site illegally could damage its fragile environment.
These risks make protecting the tiny creature even more urgent. The researchers want the cave to receive official protection and existing rules to be better enforced to keep its wildlife safe. Mussini closes on a broader point. According to him:
“The discovery of this species highlights that there remains a cryptic diversity of cave-dwelling species still to be discovered even in a densely populated island like Bermuda, whose hidden, underground biodiversity is all too often overlooked.”
Enjoyed this article? Subscribe to our free newsletter for engaging stories, exclusive content, and the latest news.
