Hidden life on the Sussex seabed
An underwater study has revealed the incredible hidden world of tiny sea creatures living on the Sussex seabed. These miniature animals play a huge role in keeping our seas healthy, but because they're so small and often well‑camouflaged, they’re notoriously difficult to study.
To uncover this secret biodiversity, the SKRP research team deployed Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS). These stacks of plates act like mini artificial reefs, inviting marine life to settle and grow. Three ARMS units were placed about 2 km south of Worthing Pier in July 2022. After just over a year quietly gathering life on the seabed, we recovered them and began the exciting task of examining every creature that had made them home.
Using a combination of detailed imaging using AI and DNA analysis, we were able to identify species that would otherwise be impossible to pinpoint by sight alone. DNA testing in particular unlocked a much richer picture of the diversity living on the structures.
In total, we counted nearly 2,000 individual animals and recorded 176 different genera (groups of animals or plants) from snails, worms, crabs, shrimps and sponges to seaweeds. One especially encouraging find was the native oyster, a key habitat‑forming species once abundant along the Sussex coast.
The results show just how effective ARMS can be for discovering the often-overlooked life beneath our waves. They provide a fascinating window into the incredible biodiversity thriving on the Sussex seabed, much of which we might never have known was there.
This study was based on a masters research project by Mike Jordan and a bachelors project by Natalie Ng, supported by Dr Emma Ransome and Dr Margaux Steyaert of Imperial college, and SKRPs own Dr Ray Ward (QMUL) and Dr Chris Yesson (ZSL). Read the full study here (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1674917/full)
