A unique ecosystem near the Maldives is home to tiny aquatic creatures and many predators, such as sharks.
The Nekton Maldives Mission, comprising scientists from the Maldives government, the non-profit organization Nekton, and the University of Oxford, has discovered a “living oasis” – a vibrant and bustling ecosystem teeming with schools of fish, predatory sharks, and tiny aquatic organisms, IFL Science reported on October 24. This oasis is located at a depth of approximately 500 meters beneath the Indian Ocean, near the Maldives.
The Omega Seamaster II submersible studying the ecosystem. (Photo: Nekton Maldives Mission).
With the aid of the mini-submersible Omega Seamaster II, the research team collected biological samples, filmed, and mapped the newly discovered area using sonar technology. They focused on Satho Raha – a massive underwater mountain with a circumference of about 28 kilometers.
The ecosystem here is particularly unusual because a group of small organisms known as micro-nekton appears to be trapped at a depth of around 500 meters. Micro-nekton are similar to plankton but slightly larger, measuring between 2 to 20 centimeters. Typically, micro-nekton descend to greater depths at dawn, but here, they do not go deeper than 500 meters.
These small organisms concentrate in the oasis, creating a “hotspot” of biodiversity that attracts larger predators, including tuna, tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks, silky sharks, bramble sharks, and dogfish sharks. However, many details about the “Trap Zone” remain unclear to scientists.
“Why is this happening? Does this only occur at a depth of 500 meters? Do living organisms go deeper? What is this transition? What is down there and why?” Lucy Woodall, a marine scientist at the University of Oxford, inquired.
The Trap Zone could help scientists gain a better understanding of micro-nekton, thereby enhancing knowledge about the deep sea and implementing better ocean conservation measures. “This place has all the signs of a distinct new ecosystem. The Trap Zone is creating a living oasis in the Maldives, and it is likely that similar ecosystems exist in other oceanic islands and on continental slopes as well,” noted Alex Rogers, a marine biologist at the University of Oxford.
