A recent study reported that historic wooden shipwrecks alter seafloor microbial communities, influencing marine ecosystems' structure, chemistry, and biology even decades after the event.
According to Phys.org, The study revealed that shipwrecks worldwide provide a new habitat for microbes, showing how human structures affect the deep-sea ecosystem. It turns out that these historic wooden shipwrecks function as habitats for microbes, providing them food, refuge, and structure.
Microbes Living in Wooden Shipwrecks
Study corresponding author Dr. Leila Hamdan from the University of Southern Mississippi, noted that it is significant to be aware of microbial communities in the marine ecosystem because they provide clear and early evidence of how human activities change life in oceans.
The study titled "Historic Wooden Shipwrecks Influence Dispersal of Deep-Sea Biofilms," published in Frontiers in Marine Science, claims that wooden shipwrecks have become naturally occurring geological seabed structures that offer deep-sea life refuge. However, little is known about the microbial diversity of these artificial structures found on the seafloor.
Dr. Hamddan said that the study is the first to show that human-built habitats or structures modified by humans impact biofilms coating these surfaces. Ultimately, these films of microbes enable hard habitats to transform into islands of biodiversity.
UNESCO has estimated about 3 million shipwrecks around the world, wherein most of which are made from wood. The researchers chose two wooden sailing ships that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in the 19th century for their study and collected biofilms in the shipwrecks.
They found that oakwood was more prevalent among biofilms compared to pine. They also noticed that microbial diversity could vary based on the proximity of the wreck site, in which samples taken 125 meters from the sites of shipwrecks showed the most diversity.
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Shipwrecks Shaping Seafloor Ecosystem
The study showed that historic wooden shipwrecks from the 19th century had become microbial habitats and altered biofilm composition and dispersal. Phys.org reported that the findings are consistent with previous findings that the distribution of biofilms depended on environmental factors, like the depth of the shipwreck.
But shipwrecks around the world are not just wooden structures. With the increasing human impacts on the seafloor ecosystem through scientific discovery and multiple economic uses, it is not surprising to see many shipwrecks today around the world.
An article in Smithsonian Magazine highlighted the impact of shipwrecks on oceans, noting that the damage it causes has a lot to do with where it ends up. Shipwrecks could damage coral reefs, crush mangrove roots, or erode seagrass beds.
Pieces of the ship that can be harmful to the environment can tumble and drift into the seabed. There's also the issue of oil spills, which are a major concern for vessels.
In conclusion, most shipwrecks are far from lifeless and can harbor incredibly active communities of the deep sea, from microbes to other marine animals.
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