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The deep ocean is the largest habitat on our planet and a shared heritage and responsibility of all the world's nations. The extreme environmental conditions means that organisms inhabiting depths from 200m and beyond have evolved bizarre body shapes and unique methods of survival. Bioluminescence is the production of light by living organisms, and the deep ocean is unrivalled in the extent to which this survival tool is employed. This talk will look at the weird and wonderful inhabitants of this vast twilight realm, how they find food and mates whilst avoiding the looming threat of predators.

Dr Ben Wigham is a Lecturer in Marine Science at Newcastle University. His research interests take him to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where he is particularly interested in exploring how variation in food inputs from the ocean surface influence the communities that inhabit the deep sea floor at around 3000m. Further research areas focus on the breeding and larval development of deep sea echinoderms (starfish, urchins and relatives). Ben works closely with the oil and gas industry using their imaging technologies to study how offshore structures can attract organisms and create hotspots of marine biodiversity.