The ocean covers most of the surface of the planet and is a home for an incredible number of species, including the most ferocious predators - sharks. The ocean is huge, and therefore it would be logical to assume that the sharks are scattered on its various corners, but a new study shows that this is not entirely. Researchers found that the underwater mountains near the island of Ascension are literally teeming with sharks - there are 41 times more than in the open ocean, writes IFLSCIENCE.

Researchers believe that this trend may indicate that the underwater mountains are important " In their work, a team from the University of Exterter focused on the study of three underwater mountains near the island of Ascension in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean.

The focus. Technology has its own Telegram channel. Subscribe so as not to miss the latest and most exciting news from the world of science!

Note that two of the three mountains were shallow with less than 100 meters of water separating their peaks from the surface of the ocean. The results indicate that it was these two mountains that were a habitat for the main predators, including Galapagos and silky sharks, as well as yellow -fried and large -eyed tunnios.

The selection of an underwater mountain for " But it seemed the most curious that the boom of marine life was not so simple.

Scientists expected to see the largest amount of biomass in the lower links of the food chain, becoming slightly smaller with each subsequent level. However, the reality is that the enrichment of marine life only increased with each level. Zooplankton was still more common on the underwater mountains in comparison with the open ocean, the study was recorded twice as much, but the sharks biomass were 41 times higher.

According to the co -author of the study, Dr. Sam Weber from the Center for Ecology and the Protection of Nature of the University of Exeter, their results with colleagues of work show that several factors are united to make the underwater mountains with such rich marines, especially predators.

Despite the fact that the primary productivity is no higher on the underwater mountains that scientists studied, filtrators can probably benefit from the fact that the production is “blown away” through the peak, while at the same time the peak can prevent the types of prey in deeper waters,. This concept effectively concentrates food in one predictable place in the ocean.

Scientists also believe that some predators probably use underwater mountains as " Predators also use underwater mountains as a base where they return after hunting in the open ocean. The team believes that this is due to the fact that there are more higher predators on the underwater mountains than could be expected based on the amount of available food.

The results of the new study also confirm the widespread theory that underwater mountains are oases of life in the comparative deserts of the open ocean. Scientists also believe that these results confirm the importance of preserving shallow underwater mountains.

Previously, Focus wrote that scientists found out when the shark first attacked a person.