Deep-Sea Biology Research Group
Current Projects
Our research group focuses on life histories (growth and reproduction), biodiversity, and foodweb ecology of deep-sea organisms, with emphasis on cephalopods and gelatinous zooplankton.
We apply observational, analytical and experimental tools during research expeditions in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Sea. We use deep-sea in situ observations from submersibles, camera systems and freefall landers to document deep-sea organisms in their natural environment.
We use pelagic video transects to predict what species may regionally contribute to the carcass flux that may fall on the seafloor, to establish regional baselines in diversity and distribution of midwater fauna. Video transects are analyzed using the annotation software VARS and stored in the Oceanic Biodiversity Observation Database (OBOD).
To quantify deposition of natural foodfalls we analyse databases of seafloor images for carcasses, and quantify local carbon contribution.
Furthermore, we use experimental deep-sea landers with bait to mimic deep-sea foodfalls to document the consumption rate and duration of carcasses and the attracted scavenging communities.
Finally, we search for traces of pelagic organisms in the deep sea via environmental DNA analysis, a technique that enables the detection of a species via metabarcoding of environmental samples (water, sediment).
Teaching
Henk-Jan lectures in different courses of the MSc program Biological Oceanography and coordinates the 'Bioc-102 practical course in biological oceanography'.
Team
Former Groupmembers
Philipp Neitzel
Technology development
In collaboration with GEOMAR engineers at GEOMAR’s Technical and Logistics Centre (TLZ) we developed the pelagic in situ observation system, or PELAGIOS, a towed deep-sea camera system that allows pelagic horizontal video transects in the deep water column. This system has successfully documented vertical structure of midwater communities as well as new species and regional records and biogeochemical functions of fauna. Together with GEOMAR engineers we constantly develop new ways to explore and sample organisms in the deep sea.
Expeditions
2019 R/V Western Flyer, 7 days MBARI Midwater Ecology Expedition Monterey Bay. Chief scientist Dr. BH Robison
2019 R/V Polarstern PS121, 35 days, ancillary user project CARCASS investigating the role of plankton and nekton in the biological carbon pump using deep-sea landers, PELAGIOS, Multinet, CTD and eDNA collection. Chief Scientist Dr. K Metfies (AWI)
2019 R/V Poseidon POS532, 21 days investigating the role of gelatinous zooplankton in the biological carbon pump in Cape Verde waters, manned submersible JAGO, PELAGIOS, Multinet, CTD and eDNA collection. Chief Scientist Dr. HJT Hoving
2018 R/V Heincke HEI518, 9 days investigating nekton and plankton in the Norwegian Sea. PELAGIOS, Multinet, Trawl, Baited camera landers. Chief Scientist Dr. U Piatkowski
2018 R/V Poseidon POS520, 17 days, Investigating pelagic communities in Cape Verde waters using manned submersible JAGO, PELAGIOS, Multinet, CTD and eDNA collection. Chief Scientist Dr. HJT Hoving
2017 R/V Maria S. Merian MSM61, 9 days, Studying pelagic communities of macrozooplankton and nekton at time series station CVOO, Senghor seamount and mesoscale eddies. Deployment of seamount observatory. Chief Scientist Dr. B Fiedler
2017 R/V Meteor M138, 33 days, Cruise for SFB754 project. Deployment PELAGIOS for investigating vertical ecological zonation of the oxygen minimum zone off Peru. Chief Scientist Prof. Dr. H Bange.
2016 R/V Western Flyer, 7 days MBARI Midwater Ecology Expedition Monterey Bay. Chief scientist Dr. BH Robison
2015 R/V Meteor, 38 days from Mindelo, Cape Verde to Recife, Brazil. Deployment of towed pelagic in situ observation system PELAGIOS. Chief scientist Prof. P Brandt
2015 R/V Maria S. Merian, 19 days, Las Palmas, Spain to Mindelo, Cape Verde. Deployment of PELAGIOS, responsible for GEOMAR team (5 students and 1 technician). Chief scientist Dr. B Christiansen
2015 R/V Walther Herwig III, 16 days from Dakar, Senegal to Mindelo, Cape Verde. Mesopelagic trawl sampling. Chief Scientist Dr. H Fock
2015 R/V Western Flyer, 10 days La Paz to La Paz, Mexico. MBARI Midwater Ecology Expedition Gulf of California, pelagic ROV surveys. Chief scientist Dr. BH Robison
Selected Publications
Hoving, H.J.T., Neitzel, P., Hauss, H., Christiansen, S., Kiko, R., Robison, B.H., Silva, P, and Körtzinger, A. (2020) In situ observations show vertical community structure of pelagic fauna in the eastern tropical North Atlantic off Cape Verde. Scientific Reports 10:21798 doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78255-9
Lischka, A, Lacoue-Labarthe, T, Bustamante, P, Piatkowski, U, Hoving HJT. (2020) Trace elements in the boreoatlantic gonate squid (Gonatus fabricii) demonstrate its ecological key role in polar regions of the Atlantic Ocean. Environmental Pollution 256: 113389 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113389
Hoving, HJT, Christiansen, S, Fabrizius, E, Hauss, H, Kiko, R, Linke, P, Neitzel, P, Piatkowski, U. and Körtzinger, A. (2019) The Pelagic In situ Observation System (PELAGIOS) to reveal biodiversity, behavior and ecology of elusive oceanic fauna.Ocean Science 15 (5) 1327-1340 doi.org/10.5194/os-2018-131.
Christiansen, S*, Hoving, HJT*, Schütte,F, Hauss,H, Karstensen,H, Körtzinger,A, Schröder,S, Stemmann,L, Christiansen,B, PicheralM, Brandt,P, Robison,BH, Koch,R, Kiko, R. (2018) Particulate matter flux interception in oceanic mesoscale eddies by the polychaete Poeobius sp. Limnology and Oceanography https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10926 *equal contribution
Schwarz, R, Piatkowski, U, Hoving, HJT. (2018) The impact of environmental temperature on the lifespan of octopods. Marine ecology Progress Series 605: 151-164
Hoving HJT, Bush SL, Haddock SHD, Robison BH. (2017) Bathyal feasting: post-spawning squid as a source of carbon for deep-sea benthic communities. Proc. R. Soc. B 284: 20172096
Purser A, Marcon Y, Hoving, HJT, Vecchione M, Piatkowski U, Easone D. Bluhm H, Boetius A. (2016). Association of deep-sea incirrate octopods with manganese crusts and nodule fields in the Pacific Ocean. Current Biology Volume 26 (24), 1268-1269
Hoving HJT, Laptikhovsky VV, Robison BH. (2015). Vampire squid’s reproductive strategy is unique among coleoid cephalopods. Current Biology 25 (8): 322–323
yellow eyed Octopus
Apolemia
feather coral
Forskalia
Leucothea
Public outreach
New insights into the world of gelatinous plankton
The Squid That Sink to the Ocean’s Floor When They Die
Deep-Sea Discoveries: Squid Graveyard
A sucker for jellyfish: The unexpected prey of the seven-arm octopus
Science: ‘Ghost octopus’ has heartbreaking parenting strategy
Nature: Deep-sea squid uses tentacles to attract prey
What the vampire squid really eats
