In the frigid, inky ocean depths beneath permanent ice shelves, life tends to move pretty slowly. But a recent expedition to the seafloor under a newly thawed Antarctic ice sheet has revealed an unexpected invertebrate invasion. Some of Earth’s strangest species, a group of ghostly pale sponges made of glass, have set up shop there in a hurry, upending much of what scientists know about these exotic creatures.
Thanks to changes in this ecosystem brought on by a warming climate, these gardens of glass sponges have sprouted up in only a few years, a veritable population explosion for species once thought to take decades or centuries to spread. It suggests that glass sponges could find themselves squarely on the winner’s podium when it comes to climate change.
via Wired
Image: Thomas Lundalv, Alfred-Wegener-Institut
