First survey of sessile communities on subtidal rocks in an area with hydrothermal vents: Milos Island, Aegean Sea

Author(s):  
Silvia Cocito ◽  
C. Nike Bianchi ◽  
Carla Moni ◽  
Andrea Peirano
Author(s):  
C. Nike Bianchi ◽  
Carla Morri

Serpuloidea were collected by diving within 45 m depth, by indirect sampling in deeper waters (50 and 81 m), and among the fouling settled on oceanographic instruments at various depths (10, 50, 80 and 83 m depth). A total of 33 species or subspecific taxa was found: 25 Serpulidae and eight Spirorbidae. All the species collected are already known for the western Mediterranean and have Atlantic–Mediterranean or worldwide distribution. Several of these, however, may be species-complexes hiding species with restricted geographic ranges. No Lessepsian migrants were found. The number of species found at vent sites was significantly higher than that found at non-vent sites, although no vent-obligate species were recognized. Hydrothermal vents might influence serpuloidean richness through four main mechanisms: (i) increasing food sources to these filter-feeders, due to the chemiosynthetic production by vent microbiota; (ii) enhancing the development of biogenic carbonate mounds, which provide habitats for encrusting and cryptic species; (iii) inducing advective mechanisms that concentrate larval stages in the vicinity of vents and thus favouring recruitment; (iv) creating, through the periodic emission of toxic fluids, a regime of `intermediate disturbance' that allows a larger number of species to coexist.


2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (sup1) ◽  
pp. 89-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. De Biasi ◽  
C. N. Bianchi ◽  
S. Aliani ◽  
S. Cocito ◽  
A. Peirano ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Carlo Nike Bianchi ◽  
Paul R. Dando ◽  
Carla Morri

Research on subtidal hydrothermal vent ecosystems at Milos, Hellenic Volcanic Arc (Aegean Sea), suggested that vent activity increased the species richness of sessile epibenthic assemblages. Based on 303 species found in 6 sites (3 close to vents, 3 farther away), the present paper uses correspondence analysis and species/samples curves to examine the species composition and richness of these assemblages. Differences due to vent proximity were more important than those due to bottom depth and distance from the shore. Diversity was confirmed to be higher near the vents, although none of the 266 species found at the vent sites can be considered as obligate vent-associated species. Seven different, although not mutually exclusive, hypotheses are discussed to explain the pattern of increased epibenthic species diversity at the vent sites, namely: (i) vents represent an intermediate disturbance, inducing mortality by the emission of toxic fluids; (ii) higher winter temperature allows for the occurrence of warm-water species, which add to the regional background; (iii) venting disrupts the homogeneity of the water bottom layer, increasing bottom roughness and hence habitat heterogeneity; (iv) deposition of minerals and enhanced bioconstruction by Ca enrichment increment habitat provision; (v) fluid emission induces advective mechanisms that favour recruitment; (vi) vents emit CO2, nutrients and trace elements that enhance primary productivity; and (vii) bacterial chemosynthesis add to photosynthesis to provide a diversity of food sources for the fauna.


2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1933
Author(s):  
P. Megalovasilis

Shallow submarine hydrothermal vents along Hellenic Volcanic Arc transfer significant quantities of particles enriched in basic metals. Fluids collected by scuba diving from two shallow hydrothermal venting areas on Kos Island in the Aegean Sea in East Mediterranean. Samples were filtrated and membrane filters leached with a mixture of acids. Chemical analysis performed in suspended particles for Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ca, Ba, Sr, Li, Al and Si. The suspended particulate matter (SPM) flux varied from 0.93 to 8.64 mg/l and between 0.21 and 20.94 mg/l in two sites. Metal/Al ratios also vary significantly within a short distance. The pH of hydrothermal waters was from 5.50 to 5.95 in Kephalos Bay and from 6.09 to 6.53 in Bros Thermi suggesting gases CO2 and H2S may control pH values. Particles were dominated by Fe, Ca, Si and Al and strongly enriched in Mn, Cu, Pb and Ba. Three geochemical groups were identified being associated with distinct hydrothermal processes concerning sulphide minerals, carbonate substrate and deeper Al-Silicate rock basement


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