Anoxyphilic Loricifera

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Danovaro, Roberto Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.

Gambi, Cristina Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.

Pusceddu, Antonio Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.

Dell'Anno, Antonio Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.

Kristensen, Reinhardt Møbjerg Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Last reviewed:2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB120262

The oceans host life at all depths and across the widest ranges of environmental conditions (that is, temperature, salinity, oxygen content, and pressure), and the deep oceans may contain most of the world's undiscovered biodiversity. Deep-sea ecosystems host the largest hypoxic (oxygen-deficient) and anoxic (oxygen-free) regions of the biosphere and also host some of the most extreme ecosystems on Earth. As a result of the lack of molecular oxygen, some of these extreme systems were assumed to be inhabited by viruses and prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea), as well as protozoa, which can live under permanently anoxic conditions. In addition, unicellular eukaryotes (for example, protozoan ciliates) can be found in anoxic marine systems and recent findings have indicated that some benthic foraminiferans can be highly adapted to life without oxygen. However, until recently, there was no proof of the presence of metazoans (multicellular organisms) that can live their entire life cycle under permanently anoxic conditions.

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