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What if your deep-sea habitat was less rocky and more fleshy? That’s right, the time has come to talk all about deep-sea parasites and their fascinating life cycles.
We couldn’t think of anyone better to speak with than Dr Rod Bray, a pioneer in deep-sea parasitology research. Rod talks us through the captivating world of parasitic worms and his ongoing research into their ecology.
New species of catfish described. Image courtesy of Raghavan et al. (2023)
Continuing with the parasitic theme, Thom shares his critiques (and also his love for) ‘The Last of Us’, an apocalyptic TV show involving fungal parasitology. The news is somewhat less parasite-y this month with Alan officially extending the depth records for several taxa and there’s a new species of cavefish described. Don also provides a highly unexpected story from his days as Captain of a submarine.
And how could we forget to show you our mystery fish-fungus? If you have any hunches on what it could be, please get in touch!
Image 1 - Courtesy of Alan Jamieson. 2000m, off Angola.
Image 2-4 - Courtesy of Thomas Linley. 2500m, NW Mid-Atlantic ridge.
DID YOU KNOW WE SELL MERCH?
Are you now suddenly parasite-obsessed?! Satisfy your cravings with your very own parasitic deep-sea podcast merch featuring our favourite parasite - the tongue-eating isopod, Cymothoa exigua!
Check out our podcast merch! Please do send in any pics of you wearing the merch.
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Keep up with the team on social media
Twitter: Alan - @Hadalbloke, Thom - @ThomLinley, Georgia - @geeinthesea
Instagram: Georgia - @geeinthesea
Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
Links
Rod’s article summarising the state of knowledge of deep-sea parasites in 2020
Alans research centre (and jobs)
New depth records for ctenophores, hydrozoans and tunicates in the hadal zone
A latitudinal gradient of deep-sea invasions for marine fishes
A paper and news article describing a new fish species discovered in India living in an aquifer
The Last of us opening scene on fungal parasites
Guns N’ Roses - My Michelle
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Glossary
Cercaria - Offspring of digenean parasites.
Chimaera - A group of cartilaginous fish mostly found in deep waters.
Competition - A type of symbiosis where both species are harmed.
Commensalism - A type of symbiosis where one species benefits and the other is unaffected.
Ctenophore - “Comb jelly” marine invertebrates found worldwide.
Digeneans - A class of trematodes consisting of parasitic flatworms with two suckers.
Ectoparasites - Parasites that live on the skin of the host.
Elasmobranch - The subclass of cartilaginous fishes consisting of sharks, skates and rays.
Emmensalism - A type of symbiosis where one species is harmed and one is unaffected.
Endoparasites - Parasites that live inside the tissues of the host.
Facultative symbiosis - A type of symbiosis which is optional; not necessary for survival.
Flukes - “Trematoda” is a class of flatworms. They are internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts.
Hydrozoan - A class of cnidaria. They are small predatory animals, most are benthic and involve a polyp stage.
Monogeneans - A group of ectoparasitic flatworms commonly found on the skin, gills, or fins of fish.
Mutualism - A type of symbiosis where both species benefit.
Myxozoa - A group of aquatic parasites which contains some of the smallest animals known to exist.
Neutralism - A type of symbiosis where neither species benefit nor are negatively affected.
Parasitism - A type of symbiosis where one species benefits and one is harmed.
Parasite burden - A measure of the number and virulence of the parasites that a host harbours.
Symbiosis - “Living together” two different species living closely together.
Teleosts - “Bony fishes”.
Tunicate - These are marine invertebrates sometimes called “sea squirts”.