For the first time since the expedition started, not many people were talking about sponges. The buzzword has instead become biodiversity. A standard for measuring ecological health, biodiversity not only accounts for an environment's ability to sustain life, but also weighs the variety of that life. This delicate cluster of tunicates was one of the samples collected by scientists. A biodiversity survey also can act as a snapshot of a particular area at a particular time.
Future scientists can call upon that baseline information to see how things change.
While there's certainly some evidence to support that, there's still a tremendous amount to learn. Even less is known about the deep-sea reaches of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Amid the Mangroves Late this afternoon, I followed a small team of snorkelers into the waters of Zane Grey Creek, a shallow river penetrating the heart of Long Key. The roots of mangroves create an underwater forest, a home for myriad organisms. Mangroves line the banks of the salty creek, their roots forming their own underwater forests, home to an abundance of small fishes.