Octopuses gather in large numbers off the California coast. Scientists have now found the reason for this.
Monterey – The phenomenon was first observed by researchers in 2018 and attracted a lot of attention even then. In 2018, it was not initially clear why the octopuses then, as now, keep ganging up in the same place off the California coast. Since then, the “Octopus Garden,” as the area is known, has been closely observed by researchers and the behavior of the octopuses has been thoroughly studied. Also in Monterey Bay, researchers filmed a mystical “sea creature.”
The researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have now presented their results in a study before that in the journal Science Advances has been published. The study was carried out in cooperation with the NOAA Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of New Hampshire and the Field Museum.
Researchers have discovered why thousands of octopuses are swarming off the coast of California
The study confirmed that deep-sea octopuses migrate to the octopus garden to mate and nest, according to a press release from the MBARI. This makes the octopus garden one of the few known nurseries for deep-sea octopuses.
The fact that the octopuses visit the area 3,200 meters off the Californian coast has to do with the hydrothermal vents discovered there. This means that the eggs of the sea creatures hatch earlier. The researchers believe that this reduces the risk of the embryos becoming prey for predators.
Climate change threatens octopuses and other deep-sea ecosystems
But like many other marine habitats, the deep sea and thus the octopus garden are threatened by climate change and the increasing plastic flood in the sea. The negative environmental influences are transmitted in the water to the sea floor, explains the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel in a press release on ocean-based approaches to combating climate change.
However, it is extremely important to protect these sensitive ecosystems because, among other things, they play a crucial role in the carbon cycle. The MBARI researcher Jim Barry therefore emphasizes: “Important biological hotspots such as this deep-sea breeding ground must be protected” (sp)
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