Deep-Sea Primary Production at the Galapagos Hydrothermal Vents

Science ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 207 (4437) ◽  
pp. 1345-1347 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Karl ◽  
C. O. Wirsen ◽  
H. W. Jannasch
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents

Addendum

1986 ◽  
Vol 227 (1246) ◽  
pp. 145-145
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Electron Acceptor ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Inorganic Compounds ◽  
Anaerobic Bacteria ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Common

Review Lecture. The chemosynthetic support of life and the microbial diversity at deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Proc. R. Soc. Lond . B 225, 277-297 (1985). In this lecture, the chemosynthetic base of the food chain supporting rich deep-sea ecosystems around hydrothermal vents, was claimed to represent a primary production of organic carbon independent of sunlight. I received several comments criticizing this point of view for neglecting the fact that oxygen is the required electron acceptor in the metabolism of the eukaryotic part of the vent communities. I agree. The independence of light was, however, mentioned in connection with a catastrophic darkening of the globe’s surface. A temporary absence of photo­synthetic oxygen production might well be overcome for an extended period of time by the ‘aerobic’ deep-sea vent animals, given the minute consumption of oxygen relative to its huge total quantity available in deep ocean waters. In a permanent absence of light, however, the existence of eukaryotic organisms, as we know them, will depend on an oxygen-producing process such as photosynthesis. Populations of anaerobic bacteria, on the other hand, may well persist and differentiate into prokaryotic ecosystems in permanent darkness as long as the geothermal provision of H 2 and CO 2 continues. Physical chemists were troubled by the use of the term ‘source of energy’ for reduced inorganic compounds, such as H 2 S, in chemosynthesis because the actual amount of free energy available depends on the reaction with the oxidant. It is certainly true that the common equalization of the terms ‘electron donor’ and ‘energy source’ in microbial physiology does not take the specific type of electron acceptor into account. They are used as terms of convenience. In my discussion of deep-sea chemosynthesis as a form of primary production, the emphasis on terrestrial chemical ‘sources of energy’ was meant to illustrate the contrast to the use of solar energy which does not only supply oxygen as the most efficient electron acceptor but also the common electron donors, organic as well as inorganic, for all non-phototrophic life in surface waters and on the continents.

Review Lecture - The chemosynthetic support of life and the microbial diversity at deep-sea hydrothermal vents

1985 ◽  
Vol 225 (1240) ◽  
pp. 277-297 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Inorganic Species ◽  
Chemolithotrophic Bacteria ◽  
New Type ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Aerobic And Anaerobic

Circulation of seawater through the upper few kilometres of oceanic crust at tectonic spreading zones results in a transformation of geothermal into chemical energy. Reduced inorganic species are emitted from warm (under 25 °C) and hot (under 400 °C) vents on the sea floor at depths of 1600 and 3000 m and are used by chemolithotrophic bacteria as terrestrial sources of energy for the primary production of organic carbon from carbon dioxide. Thus, the rich and unique animal populations found in the immediate vicinity of the vents represent ecosystems that are largely or totally independent of solar energy. They subsist by means of a food chain that is based on various microbial processes. In addition to aerobic and anaerobic bacterial chemosynthesis, a new type of symbiosis between yet undescribed chemolithotrophic prokaryotes and certain invertebrates appears to account for the major part of the total primary production at the deep-sea vent sites.

scholarly journals Primary Production in the Water Column as Major Structuring Element of the Biogeographical Distribution and Function of Archaea in Deep-Sea Sediments of the Central Pacific Ocean

Archaea ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Wemheuer ◽  
Avril Jean Elisabeth von Hoyningen-Huene ◽  
Marion Pohlner ◽  
Julius Degenhardt ◽  
Bert Engelen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Archaeal Community ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Central Pacific Ocean ◽  
Deep Sea Sediments ◽  
And Function ◽  
Functional Profiles ◽  
Archaeal Communities

Information on environmental conditions shaping archaeal communities thriving at the seafloor of the central Pacific Ocean is limited. The present study was conducted to investigate the diversity, composition, and function of both entire and potentially active archaeal communities within Pacific deep-sea sediments. For this purpose, sediment samples were taken along the 180° meridian of the central Pacific Ocean. Community composition and diversity were assessed by Illumina tag sequencing targeting archaeal 16S rRNA genes and transcripts. Archaeal communities were dominated by CandidatusNitrosopumilus(Thaumarchaeota) and other members of theNitrosopumilaceae(Thaumarchaeota), but higher relative abundances of the Marine Group II (Euryarchaeota) were observed in the active compared to the entire archaeal community. The composition of the entire and the active archaeal communities was strongly linked to primary production (chlorophyll content), explaining more than 40% of the variance. Furthermore, we found a strong correlation of the entire archaeal community composition to latitude and silicic acid content, while the active community was significantly correlated with primary production and ferric oxide content. We predicted functional profiles from 16S rRNA data to assess archaeal community functions. Latitude was significantly correlated with functional profiles of the entire community, whereas those of the active community were significantly correlated with nitrate and chlorophyll content. The results of the present study provide first insights into benthic archaeal communities in the Pacific Ocean and environmental conditions shaping their diversity, distribution, and function. Additionally, they might serve as a template for further studies investigating archaea colonizing deep-sea sediments.

scholarly journals Growth and Phylogenetic Properties of Novel Bacteria Belonging to the Epsilon Subdivision of the Proteobacteria Enriched fromAlvinella pompejana and Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 4566-4572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara J. Campbell ◽  
Christian Jeanthon ◽  
Joel E. Kostka ◽  
George W. Luther ◽  
S. Craig Cary
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Heterotrophic Bacteria ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Optimal Growth ◽  
Small Subunit ◽  
Ribosomal Gene ◽  
Moderately Thermophilic ◽  
Novel Bacteria

ABSTRACT Recent molecular characterizations of microbial communities from deep-sea hydrothermal sites indicate the predominance of bacteria belonging to the epsilon subdivision of Proteobacteria(epsilon Proteobacteria). Here, we report the first enrichments and characterizations of four epsilonProteobacteria that are directly associated withAlvinella pompejana, a deep sea hydrothermal vent polychete, or with hydrothermal vent chimney samples. These novel bacteria were moderately thermophilic sulfur-reducing heterotrophs growing on formate as the energy and carbon source. In addition, two of them (Am-H and Ex-18.2) could grow on sulfur lithoautrotrophically using hydrogen as the electron donor. Optimal growth temperatures of the bacteria ranged from 41 to 45°C. Phylogenetic analysis of the small-subunit ribosomal gene of the two heterotrophic bacteria demonstrated 95% similarity to Sulfurospirillum arcachonense, an epsilon Proteobacteria isolated from an oxidized marine surface sediment. The autotrophic bacteria grouped within a deeply branching clade of the epsilonProteobacteria, to date composed only of uncultured bacteria detected in a sample from a hydrothermal vent along the mid-Atlantic ridge. A molecular survey of various hydrothermal vent environments demonstrated the presence of two of these bacteria (Am-N and Am-H) in more than one geographic location and habitat. These results suggest that certain epsilonProteobacteria likely fill important niches in the environmental habitats of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where they contribute to overall carbon and sulfur cycling at moderate thermophilic temperatures.

scholarly journals Deep-sea ophiuroids (Echinodermata) from reducing and non-reducing environments in the North Atlantic Ocean

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Stöhr ◽  
Michel Segonzac
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Cold Seep ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Cold Seeps ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Blake Ridge ◽  
Reducing Environment

The animal communities associated with the deep-sea reducing environment have been studied for almost 30 years, but until now only a single species of ophiuroid, Ophioctenella acies, has been found at both hydrothermal vents and methane cold seeps. Since the faunal overlap between vent and seep communities is small and many endemic species have been found among other taxa (e.g. Mollusca, Crustacea), additional species of ophiuroids were expected at previously unstudied sites. Chemical compositions at reducing sites differ greatly from the nearby bathyal environment. Generally, species adapted to chemosynthetic environments are not found in non-chemosynthetic habitats, but occasional visitors of other bathyal species to vent and seep sites have been recorded among many taxa except ophiuroids. This paper presents an analysis of the ophiuroid fauna found at hydrothermal vents and non-reducing nearby sites on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and on methane cold seeps in the Gulf of Mexico, at Blake Ridge off South Carolina and south of Barbados. In addition to O. acies, four species were found at vents, Ophiactis tyleri sp. nov., Ophiocten centobi, Ophiomitra spinea and Ophiotreta valenciennesi rufescens. While Ophioctenella acies appears to be restricted to chemosynthetic areas, the other four species were also found in other bathyal habitats. They also occur in low numbers (mostly single individuals), whereas species adapted to hydrothermal areas typically occur in large numbers. Ophioscolex tripapillatus sp. nov. and Ophiophyllum atlanticum sp. nov. are described from nearby non-chemosynthetic sites. In a cold seep south of Barbados, three species of ophiuroids were found, including Ophioctenella acies, Amphiura sp., Ophiacantha longispina sp. nov. and Ophioplinthaca chelys. From the cold seeps at Blake Ridge and the Gulf of Mexico, Ophienigma spinilimbatum gen. et sp. nov. is described, likely restricted to the reducing environment. Ophiotreta valenciennesi rufescens occurred abundantly among Lophelia corals in the Gulf of Mexico seeps, which is the first record of this species from the West Atlantic. Habitat descriptions complement the taxonomic considerations, and the distribution of the animals in reducing environments is discussed.

Pressure and Temperature Adaptation of Cytosolic Malate Dehydrogenases of Shallowand Deep-Living Marine Invertebrates: Evidence for High Body Temperatures in Hydrothermal Vent Animals

1991 ◽  
Vol 159 (1) ◽  
pp. 473-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELIZABETH DAHLHOFF ◽  
GEORGE N. SOMERO
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Pressure Effects ◽  
Temperature Adaptation ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Elevated Pressures

Effects of temperature and hydrostatic pressure were measured on cytosolic malate dehydrogenases (cMDHs) from muscle tissue of a variety of shallow- and deep-living benthic marine invertebrates, including seven species endemic to the deep-sea hydrothermal vents. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) of coenzyme (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, NADH), used to index temperature and pressure effects, was conserved within a narrow range (approximately 15–25 μmoll−1) at physiological temperatures and pressures for all species. However, at elevated pressures, the Km of NADH rose sharply for cMDHs of shallow species (depths of occurrence >Approximately 500 m), but not for the cMDHs of deep-sea species. Cytosolic MDHs of invertebrates from the deep-sea hydrothermal vents generally were not perturbed by elevated temperatures (15–25°C) at in situ pressures, but cMDHs of cold-adapted deep-sea species were. At a single measurement temperature, the Km of NADH for cMDHs from invertebrates from habitats with well-characterized temperatures was inversely related to maximal sustained body temperature. This correlation was used to predict the maximal sustained body temperatures of vent invertebrates for which maximal habitat and body temperatures are difficult to estimate. Species occurring on the ‘smoker chimneys’, which emit waters with temperatures up to 380°C, are predicted to have sustained body temperatures that are approximately 20–25°C higher than vent species living in cooler vent microhabitats. We conclude that, just as adaptation of enzymes to elevated pressures is important in establishing species’ depth distribution patterns, adaptation of pressure-adapted enzymes to temperature is critical in enabling certain vent species to exploit warm-water microhabitats in the vent environment.

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