February 2023 Seawords

SEAW ORDS TheMarineOption Program Newsletter

February 2023

Volume XXXV I I I , Number 2 Aloha and Welcome to the February issue of Seawords!

T his month we welcome our newest writer, Sara McGhee!

Enjoy her article covering our Creature of the Month on page 12.

T his month's creature is best known for commandeering mollusc shells to make its home, you guessed it, it's the hermit crab!

I n this issue, read up on Oxygen Minimum Zones and how climate change could affect their future (page 24), as well as the latest dolphin activity tracking technology (page 4), and the effects of coastal tourism on coral reefs (page 16).

From a sea sponge tackling Covid-19 (page 8), to ocean mapping technologies being applied to the search for extraterrestrial life (page 20), take a step outside the world of ocean organisms and learn how marine science is being applied to other fields of study.

W hat would you like to see more of in Seawords? Send in your thoughts, and follow us on T witter and I nstagram at @mopseawords!

Abbie Jeremiah, Seawords Editor 2 | Seawords

Contents 2: L etter From the Editor 4: Dolphin Activity T rackers 8: Covid-Fighting Sponges 12: Creature of the Month: Hermit Crab 16: Coastal Tourism & Coral Reef Degradation 20: Marine Science Applied to Space 24: Oxygen Depletion in the Ocean: Not All Bad 28: MOP Calendar

Photo Credits Front Page: Hermit Crab. Photo by: NOAA Photo L ibrary; Flickr.

Table of Contents: Soft Pink Coral. Photo by: T homas Quine; Flickr.

Back Cover: Crown of T horns- NMSAS Swains I sland Expedition. Photo by: Wendy Cover/ NOAA; Flickr.

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Dolphin Activity T r acker s By: H aley Chasin, UH M MOP Alumna

Spinner Dolphins. Photo by: Ed Lyman/ NOAA; Flickr.

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Humans have been known to cause disturbances to animals like dolphins. T hese disturbances include habitat changes, overfishing, changes in climate and noise pollution from shipping, underwater construction, oil exploration and navy sonar.

Disturbances like this can affect their socialization and feeding behaviors.

I n order to investigate movement in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) scientists have gone from camera-based technologies to wearable technologies called biologging tags that sit between the blowhole and the dorsal fins. T he tag is similar to a fitness tracker but instead of measuring how many calories a person consumes during exercise, it can measure how much

energy an animal uses when they swim by measuring the swimming behavior including kinematics, hydrodynamics and propulsive power.

Scientists from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor ? in collaboration with marine mammal specialists at Dolphin Quest O?ahu in Hawai?i were able to come up with these technologies. Six animals were used to measure the data. Swimming mechanics over a range of speeds (1.9-6.1 m/ s) and propulsive power ranged from 66 W to 3.8 kW over 282 total trials. T he dolphins swam at depths that reduced wave drag during their speed changes.

Data also examined how different movement behaviors were more or less energetically efficient and effortless. T he results indicated that the dolphins FEBRUARY - PEPELUALI 2023

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use a combination of depth and swimming speed to become the most efficient.

T he data are used to determine how much energy is used to catch fishes and how many they catch in a day to compare these results from when dolphins are disturbed.

T he animals' well-being and population dynamics are important. With this new technology humans can become more informed on how we are affecting these animals to better manage them. Other researchers from Duke University and the Oceanogràfic Foundation of Valencia (Spain), in collaboration with Dolphin Quest are working to estimate energy used during movement and oxygen consumption.

T heir hope is to develop a more adaptable speed sensor and energetic monitoring for a wider variety of animals.

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Dolphins at Kealakekua Bay. Photo by: Doug Finney; Flickr.

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Sponge Surface. Photo by: Klaus Stiefel; Flickr.

Covid-Fighting Sponges By: Sofia Flores-Pina, UHM MOP Student

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With the evolution of the coronavirus and the emergence of new variants, the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines has begun to diminish. Variants of concern such as Omicron and Delta are little affected by monoclonal antibodies present in current pan-coronavirus vaccines.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), target SARS-CoV-2 spike protein while treating infection.

However, anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs have drastically different effects on variants and subvariants. Highly pathogenic variants of Delta and the highly transmissible Omicron variants and subvariants have led to widespread infection and hospitalization; inoculated individuals included. As the coronavirus adapts, so too

must the methods to combat it.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have been investigating the capabilities of natural products in fighting covid properties. The team collected 373 compounds obtained from fungi, bacteria, plants, and marine sponges. The antiviral effects of the 373 natural products were evaluated using the mNeonGreen (mNG) reporter SARS-CoV-2 virus in a lung epithelial cell line. The human lung cells were bathed in a solution from a compound, then exposed to SARS-CoV-2.

Once infected, the cells turned fluorescent green. Of the 373 natural compounds, 26 had some capacity for antiviral defense against select variants. Three of the FEBRUARY - PEPELUALI 2023

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compounds, however, were very effective in fighting against Delta variants and most omicron variants.

Found in Howe Sound, British Columbia, Alotaketal C, was derived from a sea sponge. Also found in Canada, Bafilomycin D and Holyrine A were derived from marine bacteria found in Barkley Sound, British Columbia, and Newfoundland. These three compounds have potent inhibitors of coronavirus, namely omicron subvariants BA.5 and BA.2. Dr. François Jean, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at UBC, speculates that natural products will play a significant role in the development of new preventative medications against Covid-19 as well as other respiratory infections.

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While this discovery remains in the early stages of research, animal testing and clinical trials are the next courses of action, says Dr. Jimena Pérez-Vargas, an associate professor of immunology and microbiology at UBC. According to Raymond Anderson, a professor in the Chemistry Department at UBC, treatment would likely come in the form of a pill or nasal spray rather than by an injection.

The discovery of the remarkable antiviral properties present in natural products has the potential to save lives worldwide.

Furthermore, this discovery demonstrates the importance of understanding natural products while suggesting we still have much to learn from them.

Barrel Sponge. Photo by: Klaus Stiefel; Flickr.

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Cr eat ur e of t he Mont h:

Her mit Cr a By: Sar a McGhee, UHM MOP St udent

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ab

Pacific Golden Photo by: W hen thinking of a Plover. hermit crab, Geoff Whalan, Flickr. one may picture the easy to care for pet with a pretty shell. W hile they do make great pets, they are also a very interesting species unique from other types of crabs. W hile they are members of the Crustacea subphylum and they are not true crabs, due to their lack of a hard exoskeleton and inability to grow their own shell.

Because of this, they borrow used shells from molluscs, typically snails.

T hese gentle creatures rarely kill the previous shell owner and have even been observed forming a line with other hermit crabs to see which fits the new shell the best. T hey use a small set of limbs to anchor themselves to their new home and their curved body fits snuggly in the curving architecture of snail shells.

T hey often will examine a potential new shell before moving in. However, once they find a good fit, they quickly attach themselves to avoid predators taking advantage of their soft exoskeleton. T heir name is quite misleading, because while they may shelter alone in a shell, they are very social creatures that can live in groups of over 100 crabs.

Hermit Crab. Photo by: Shera Mercer; Flickr.

T here are over 800 different species of hermit crabs; six of those FEBRUARY - PEPELUALI 2023

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native to Hawai?i. T he species can be differentiated by their size and color of their eyes, antenna, legs, and claws. T he most common hermit crabs in Hawai?i are the Calcinus pictus and the Calcinus laurentae. As one of the most common animals found in tide pools, hermit crabs are easy to notice; these particular species can be found in tide pools and shallow waters all across the islands. T hey are characterized by their brightly colored reddish-shells and striped legs.

Another common species is the Calcinus laevimanus, also known as the left-handed tidepool hermit crab.

T his species got its name because of its large black and white left claw, which can be used as extra protection by sealing off the opening of its shell. W hile hermit crabs have five pairs of legs, only the second and third pairs are used for walking; the first pair is used for protection or feeding and the fifth being used to attach to their shell.

As members of the Arthropod phylum, they are all characterized by jointed limbs and segmented bodies, which include the head, 14 | Seawords

thorax, and abdomen. W hile they are called crabs, their closest relatives are actually shrimps and lobsters, which also have the three body regions and a mandible, the hard crushing mouth part, and two pairs of antennae.

Due to the vast number of hermit crab species, there is quite a bit of variation between them. Most hermit crabs grow to around 1-2 ounces, or around an inch, though some have weighed in at 11 pounds.

T hey also have a lifespan of up to 40 years in the wild.

Hermit crabs are omnivorous scavengers, meaning they consume plant and animal material. T hey typically favor macroalgae along with microscopic mussels and clams.

Because hermit crabs do not breed well in captivity, there may be limited knowledge of their reproductive processes. T he Caribbean hermit crab, like many animal species, has a very specific mating ritual. L arge numbers of these wetland creatures will head to the shore during mating season where, after fertilization, the female will eventually release the eggs near the shoreline where the eggs will then burst on contact with seawater, the larvae floating out to sea. T he small, shrimp-like larvae will

The Fab Hermit. Photo by: Ken-ichi Ueda; Flickr.

survive off of ocean plankton until they drift to the sea floor, where they morph into something that starts to resemble a hermit crab and quickly find a shell.

Hermit crabs face predators like every other species. T hey can be preyed upon by larger hermit crabs, as well as reef dwelling fishes, box crabs and even octopuses. However, plastic pollution is quickly becoming a major issue for hermit crabs as well. A small piece of plastic, such as a bottle cap, can resemble a shell and may be used as a home for a

desperate crab.

A study in 2020 by the Journal of Hazardous Material recorded that over 550,000 hermit crabs die due to plastic pollution annually. T his study only looked at two islands off the South Pacific, so global numbers are likely much higher. T his is in part due to the pheromone hermit crabs release when they die, letting other crabs know a new shell is available.

However in these cases, they are only drawing the crabs closer to danger. I t is important that as humans we do our part to protect hermit crabs as well as many other species from the effects of plastic pollution.

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U.S. Tourism; Waik?k?, Honolulu, Hawai?i. Photo by: Edmund Garman/ GPA Photo Archive; Flickr.

Coastal Tour ism and Coral Reef Deg rad at ion in Haw ai ?i By: Chloe Molou, UHH Seaw ord s Liason

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Coral degradation in

Hawai?i poses as the ideal

Hawai?i has been linked to

location for this study, as

increased coastal tourism in a

outlined in the paper, as most

study published last month in

coastal areas are accessible

Nature Sustainability. A

by road as it is common right

research team from Princeton

law to have public access to

University compared flyover

the shoreline. Many of these

maps of live coral cover to

coastal locations also have

geotagged Instagram posts

cellular coverage that is taken

to see how coastal tourism

advantage of by most tourists

impacts coral cover and

to post images on social

degradation.

media.

Led by Dr. Bin Ling, the

Dr. Ling and the team

team found higher total live

took advantage of the

coral cover in areas where

popularity of Instagram

only on-reef visitations, like

specifically and used social

scuba diving and snorkeling,

media data to provide

were frequent. These

estimates of coastal tourism

locations were also found to

in the main Hawaiian Islands.

have better water quality as

Over 275,000 public posts

compared to places where

between 2018 and 2021 were

coastal visitations, like beach

collected from 333 bays and

visits and hotel parks, where

beaches throughout the

effluent was more

islands - over 9,000 of which

concentrated.

were categorized as on-reef FEBRUARY - PEPELUALI 2023

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visits with the use of hashtags

highlighting t he detrimental

and caption keywords, e.g.,

effect that people can have

# scubadiving.

on corals. Honolulu County

Site visitations were

was found to have some of

compared to live coral cover

the largest areas of

using flyover maps, as well

degraded reefs, including

as water quality, human

Waik?k?Beach, Waimea Bay,

activity, and accessibility of

and Shark's Cove in

the site. They analyzed the

P?p?kea.

relationship between ref

The study provides

conditions and coastal

evidence of the negative

tourism rates using a

direct and indirect impact

high-resolution geospatial

of coastal tourism on coral

approach and found a

reefs in Hawai?i, as they are

positive correlation between

the biggest drivers and

visitation numbers of total

victims of this industry. The

live coral cover.

team suggests that future

Live coral cover is an

conservation efforts should

indication of the effects

prioritize strong

coastal and on-reef

reef-protection policies, as

visitations have on coral

well as implementing

health. Coral growth was

restoration measures for

found to be suppressed

areas with high traffic

closer to shore where most

coastal tourism and direct

tourism is concentrated,

on-reef visitation impacts.

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Hanauma Bay. Photo by: Kate Ure; Flickr.

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Mar ine SciencE appl ied t o space By: Al exandr ya Robinson, UHM MOP St udent

Blue ocean captured from the International Space Station. Photo by: Scott Kelly/ NASA; Wikimedia Commons.

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Especially when living in Hawai?i, it isn?t hard to glance out toward the shore and notice the vast expanse of water before you.

Oceanic knowledge gathered over the years by dedicated marine scientists has not only increased our understanding of the world around us, but has provided a blueprint for the origins of life on our planet. What if the same principles used in marine sciences could be applied to space in the ongoing mission to find life beyond our planet?

In 2016 the Congressional Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill was signed into action. This bill aimed to help the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to begin their search for life beyond Earth as well as for planets hospitable to human life. NASA?s Outer Planets Assessment Group?s (OPAG) main focus is to use gathered data for planet exploration in conjunction with the Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds (ROW) which uses ocean research to inform decisions for

exploration of oceans on other planets.

The search for inhabitable planets and ocean life is based on our scientific understanding of how oceans work here on Earth. In our solar system alone, the ROW team has identified potential research candidates based on current spacecraft observations of many celestial bodies. Places like Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, which are some of Jupiter?s moons have known bodies of water that could harbor life based on known Earth biology.

There are already plans for Europa exploration in the near future, including the Europa Lander mission which is slated for 2025, and the Europa Clipper mission set to launch in 2024, which would be ideal for gathering more data. In addition, this year the ESA JUICE mission is set to launch out to explore the moons of Jupiter and ultimately end up in orbit around Ganymede.

Enceladus and Dione, moons of Saturn, are also ideal candidates FEBRUARY - PEPELUALI 2023

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for exploration due to meeting the standard of having any form of liquid ocean. The Cassini spacecraft was able to gather measurements that showed Enceladus has a high potential for sustaining life. Pluto and Ceres, which are dwarf planets, show subtle signs of also having oceans which have allowed them to make the list of candidates for exploration. Additionally, two of Uranus?s moons, Ariel and Miranda, have shown signs of interior oceans which could allow for life to exist although currently there is more research needed to determine if these moons would make for promising research sites.

Triton, a Mercury moon, has shown signs that have ranked its exploration the highest priority for research because of the surface and subsurface liquid that has been observed as well as the organic molecules which, much like Earth, are perfect for carbon-based lifeforms. The Voyager spacecraft has already sent data back that would support a mission to Triton for exploration due to the activity on the surface of this moon. Many 22 | Seawords

surface lakes have been surface lakes have been as well as lakes of methane. Currently, the Dragonfly mission, which is set for 2027 will be searching for life on Triton.

All of these bodies are being studied and investigated by ROW to make the best decision of where to begin in-depth research first.

Identification, classification of the oceans, potential inhabitability, and the possibility of life already present all are deciding factors. Interagency coordination as well as research with other agencies such as the European Space Agency (ESA) is integral for understanding our vast space and the possible species living within it. Already the list of possible planets and moons has grown outside of what previously was understood of life outside of Earth.

If there is significant proof of an expansion of what constitutes the ?goldilocks zone,?or the habitable area within the solar system, it would expand and fundamentally change what we know about the limits of life. Keep your eyes to the sky for the potential discoveries from oceans millions of miles away.

Saturn's moon Enceladus captured by the Cassini mission. Photo by: NASA/ JPL/ Space Science Institute; Wikimedia Commons.

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Bubbles. Photo by: Dean Crochere; Flickr.

Ox y gen M i n i m u m No

By: Lu cian An der son , U 24 | Seawords

m Zon es: ot Al l Bad

UH M M OP Al u m n u s

Oxygen is an essential com ponent for m ost life not only on land but in the ocean as w ell. Oxygen is not spread evenly throughout the ocean as som e m ay assum e. There are factors that can affect oxygen in bodies of w ater such as too m uch organic m aterial w hich causes oxygen depletion. Areas in the ocean w ith low am ounts of oxygen are called Oxygen Minim um Zones. Areas w ithout oxygen are called Oxygen Depleted Zones.

Oxygen Minim um Zones (OMZ) are not inherently bad.

They are an essential com ponent of the nitrogen and carbon cycle in the ocean.

OMZs experience a rain of organic m aterial (algae, anim al rem ains, nutrients, runoff m aterial, etc.). Bacteria and archaea use oxygen to consum e the organic m atter.

Deep sea oxygen levels are dependent on the oxygen FEBRUARY - PEPELUALI 2023

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acquired at the surface and the oxygen used by archaea.

significant source of nitrous oxide, a m ajor greenhouse gas.?

A scenario that is being studied is how clim ate change m ight affect Oxygen Minim um Zones. Modeling has not been clear on this until recently. A team from Princeton led by Laure Resplandy, a biogeochem ical oceanographer and an assistant professor of geosciences at the High Meadow s Environm ental Institute at Princeton, thinks that they can predict the OMZ expansion in the East Pacific Ocean. They stated, ?this is significant for tw o reasons: for one, as oxygen levels go dow n, vital econom ic species like tuna and crabs w on?t be able to feed, sw im or reproduce unless they relocate to ocean regions w ith m ore oxygen. This has m ajor im plications for ecosystem s near the ocean?s coasts and the industries that depend on them , from fishing to tourism . Second, OMZs are a

Earlier clim ate m odels displayed inconsistent trends, both positive and negative, w ith Resplandy noting, ?for 15 years, w e?ve been circling around the sam e conundrum : w ith global w arm ing, the ocean is losing oxygen, so w e expect oxygen m inim um zones to expand, but our clim ate m odels show ed inconsistent trends.?Resplandy thinks that the current clim ate m odels displaying and predicting the size of OMZs are m uch m ore accurate. Changing to m ore layered thought processes regarding OMZs is w hat Resplandy believes helped, coupled w ith new m odeling system s.

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The current prediction is that OMZs w ill grow. By 2050 they could be as m uch as .6% of the w orld's ocean volum e. The OMZs grow th w ould affect com m ercial species like tuna.

Marine nitrogen cycle and the effects of anthropogenic activities on Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs). New research suggests that although OMZs are predicted to grow, their cores will contract, leading to less nitrous oxide being released into the atmosphere. Diagram by: Silvia Pajares and Ramiro Rames; Wikimedia Commons.

OMZs have a core w here the oxygen is at its low est. The surrounding layer around the core is predicted to expand, w ith the core contracting.

OMZs create nitrous oxide so the contraction of the OMZ does m ean less nitrous oxide w ill be released into the

atm osphere. According to paleo-oceanographers, possible events sim ilar to this phenom enon occurred during w arm periods 15-50 m illion years ago. As of right now , the data show that the OMZ cores are shrinking despite global w arm ing.

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Vol u m e XXXVIII, Nu m ber 2 Editor : Abbie Jer em iah Dr. Cyn th ia H u n ter (em in en ce gr ise) Jeffr ey Ku wabar a (em in en ce gr ise) W r itin g Team : Ch l oe M ol ou , Lu cian An der son , Al exan dr ya Robin son , H al ey Ch asin , Abbie Jer em iah , Sofia Fl or es Pin a, Sar a M cGh ee Seawor ds- M ar in e Option Pr ogr am Un iver sity of H awai ?i , Col l ege of Natu r al Scien ces 2450 Cam pu s Road, Dean H al l 105A H on ol u l u , H I 96822-2219 Tel eph on e: (808) 956-8433 Em ail : <seawor ds@ h awaii.edu > W ebsite: <h ttp:/ / www.h awaii.edu / m op> Seawor ds is th e m on th l y n ewsl etter n ewsl etter of th e M ar in e Option Pr ogr am at th e Un iver sity of H awai?i. Opin ion s expr essed h er ein ar e n ot n ecessar il y th ose of th e M ar in e Option Pr ogr am or of th e Un iver sity of H awai?i.

Su ggestion s an d su bm ission s ar e wel com e. Su bm ission s m ay in cl u de ar ticl es, ph otogr aph y,ar t wor k , or an yth in g th at m ay be of in ter est to th e m ar in e com m u n ity in H awai?i. an d ar ou n d th e wor l d.

All photos ar e taken by M OP unless other wise cr edited.