Biological complexity: how big is the bush of life? (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, April 12, 2020, 20:00 (1474 days ago) @ David Turell

Everywhere we look we find new species. We have no idea how big it is until we explore everywhere on Earth, and certainly do not know God's reasons for this massive diversity:

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-species-exploration-abyssal-deep-sea.html

"An estimated 150-foot siphonophore— seemingly the longest animal ever recorded was discovered during a month-long scientific expedition exploring the submarine canyons near Ningaloo. Additionally, up to 30 new underwater species were made by researchers from the Western Australian Museum aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor.

"The discovery of the massive gelatinous string siphonophore—a floating colony of tiny individual zooids that clone themselves thousands of times into specialized bodies that string together to work as a team—was just one of the unique finds among some of the deepest fish and marine invertebrates ever recorded for Western Australia.

***

"During the expedition, scientists collected the first giant hydroids in Australia, discovered large communities of glass sponges in Cape Range Canyon, and observed for the first time in Western Australia the bioluminescent Taning's octopus squid, long-tailed sea cucumber, and a number of other molluscs, barnacle and squat lobster species. Some of the species collected will be exhibited at the Western Australian Museum.

"The team also found the largest specimen of the giant siphonophore Apolemia ever recorded—video of which was posted on Schmidt Ocean Institute's Twitter account. "We suspected these deep sea areas would be diverse but we have been blown away by the significance of what we have seen," Wilson said. (my bold)

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"'There is so much we don't know about the deep sea, and there are countless species never before seen," said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Ocean Institute. "Our planet is deeply interconnected—what happens in the deep sea impacts life on land—and vice versa. This research is vital to advance our understanding of that connection—and the importance of protecting these fragile ecosystems. The Ningaloo Canyons are just one of many vast underwater wonders we are about to discover that can help us better understand our planet."
(my bold)

Comment: My first bold is a notice of my surprise at their surprise. of course their is endless diversity to find in our bush of life. The second bold is right on point: the interconnectedness is vital as I constantly point out about the balance of econiches, and the necessary supply of food for all, no matter how diverse. All of this diversity comes from evolution from bacteria. Its presence in this size advertises its importance. Let us not hear about God enjoying spectacle or whatever humanistic weirdness can be imagined. If it is God's creation, it is highly purposeful for a real reason.