Branchinecta brushi
Encyclopedia
Branchinecta brushi is a species of fairy shrimp
found at an altitude of 5930 m (19,455.4 ft) in the Chile
an Andes
.
. This attempt took place in a small pool, 12 by 6 m (39.4 by 19.7 ) across, at an altitude of 5930 metres (19,455.4 ft) near the summit of the stratovolcano
Cerro Paniri (22.08°S 68.25°W) in the Antofagasta Region
of Chile
.
B. brushi was collected, along with some other species, from below 5 centimetres (2 in) of ice
. The specimens were stored in 70% ethanol
at the Peabody Museum of Natural History and the United States National Museum for nearly 20 years before being re-examined; the species was eventually described in 2010, and given the specific epithet brushi to commemmorate Brush.
, which are used in mating
. B. brushi closely resembles Branchinecta valchetana, from which it differs in the form of the antennae and the gonopods.
Boeckella palustris
, also found in the same pool. The only higher record, which claimed that Branchinecta paludosa occurred at 97000 feet (29,565.6 m) is "almost certainly a typographical error". Crustaceans are rarely asssociated with life at high altitudes, but fairy shrimp such as B. brushi produce dormant cysts which are capable of surviving prolonged desiccation
, and aid in dispersal
. The closed nature of the water body probably reduces the risk of predation
, allowing B. brushi to complete its life cycle.
Fairy shrimp
Anostraca is one of the four orders of crustaceans in the class Branchiopoda; its members are also known as fairy shrimp. They are usually long . Most species have 20 body segments, bearing 11 pairs of leaf-like phyllopodia , and the body lacks a carapace...
found at an altitude of 5930 m (19,455.4 ft) in the Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
.
Distribution and discovery
The type specimens of B. brushi were collected on December 13, 1988 by Charles F. Brush during an attempt to break the world record for the world's highest SCUBA diveAltitude diving
Altitude diving is scuba diving where the surface is 300 meters or more above sea level . The U.S. Navy tables recommend that no alteration be made for dives at altitudes lower than 91 meters and dives between 91 meters and 300 meters correction is required for dives over 44 meters sea water...
. This attempt took place in a small pool, 12 by 6 m (39.4 by 19.7 ) across, at an altitude of 5930 metres (19,455.4 ft) near the summit of the stratovolcano
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
Cerro Paniri (22.08°S 68.25°W) in the Antofagasta Region
Antofagasta Region
The II Antofagasta Region is one of Chile's fifteen first-order administrative divisions. It comprises three provinces, Antofagasta, El Loa and Tocopilla...
of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.
B. brushi was collected, along with some other species, from below 5 centimetres (2 in) of ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
. The specimens were stored in 70% ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
at the Peabody Museum of Natural History and the United States National Museum for nearly 20 years before being re-examined; the species was eventually described in 2010, and given the specific epithet brushi to commemmorate Brush.
Description
Males are 10–16 mm (0.393700787401575–0.62992125984252 ) long, while females are only 9–13 mm (0.354330708661417–0.511811023622047 ). In common with other fairy shrimp, the males bear complex structures on their second antennaeAntenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
, which are used in mating
Mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for copulation. In social animals, it also includes the raising of their offspring. Copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization...
. B. brushi closely resembles Branchinecta valchetana, from which it differs in the form of the antennae and the gonopods.
Ecology
Branchinecta brushi shares the record for the crustacean living at the highest altitude with the copepodCopepod
Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat. Some species are planktonic , some are benthic , and some continental species may live in limno-terrestrial habitats and other wet terrestrial places, such as swamps, under leaf fall in wet forests,...
Boeckella palustris
Boeckella palustris
Boeckella palustris is a species of copepod that lives in South America. It is found in shallow pools, including the highest body of water ever to have yielded a crustacean, at an altitude of in the Andes. It was described independently by two scientists in 1955, using material brought back by...
, also found in the same pool. The only higher record, which claimed that Branchinecta paludosa occurred at 97000 feet (29,565.6 m) is "almost certainly a typographical error". Crustaceans are rarely asssociated with life at high altitudes, but fairy shrimp such as B. brushi produce dormant cysts which are capable of surviving prolonged desiccation
Desiccation
Desiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container.-Science:...
, and aid in dispersal
Biological dispersal
Biological dispersal refers to species movement away from an existing population or away from the parent organism. Through simply moving from one habitat patch to another, the dispersal of an individual has consequences not only for individual fitness, but also for population dynamics, population...
. The closed nature of the water body probably reduces the risk of predation
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
, allowing B. brushi to complete its life cycle.