scholarly journals Mining the Deep: A global assessment of biodiversity and research effort at deep-sea hydrothermal vents in relation to mining of seafloor massive sulphides

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Thaler ◽  
Diva Amon
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Scientific Discovery ◽  
Precious Metals ◽  
Biogeographic Provinces ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Seafloor Massive Sulphides ◽  
Massive Sulphides

When the RV Knorr set sail for the Galapagos Rift in 1977, the scientists aboard expected to find deep-sea hydrothermal vents. What they did not expect to find was life—abundant and unlike anything ever seen before. Submersible dives revealed not only deep-sea hydrothermal vents but entire ecosystem surrounding them, including the towering bright red tubeworms that would become icons of the deep sea. This discovery was so unexpected that the ship carried no biological preservatives. These first specimens were fixed in vodka from the scientists’ private reserves.Since that first discovery, deep-sea hydrothermal vents have been found throughout the oceans. As more regions are explored, newly discovered vent fields present the potential for entirely species and ecosystems. Increasingly, however, it is not scientific discovery, but the financial value of vent fields, and the ores they contain, that is driving exploration in the deep sea. Over the last five decades, a new industry has emerged to explore the potential of mining Seafloor Massive Sulphides (deep-sea hydrothermal vents that contain high concentrations of rare and precious metals). Multiple enterprises are developing mining prospects that include both active and inactive deep-sea hydrothermal vent fields. In order to understand the impacts of exploitation at deep-sea hydrothermal vents, scientists and miners must establish environmental baselines. Biodiversity is frequently used as a proxy for resilience and as a metric for assessing biological baselines but, since research effort is not distributed equally across the oceans, biodiversity estimates in the deep sea are rarely comprehensive. Studies have predominantly focused on a few key biogeographic provinces, while other regions have only been sampled sparingly. Managers, regulators, and mining companies are working from incomplete data, with inferences about the consequences, as well as mitigation and remediation practices, often drawn from studies of few vent ecosystems that are often different from those in which the impacts are expected to occur. To better assess our current understanding of deep-sea hydrothermal vent biodiversity, we undertook a quantitative survey of the last 40 years of vent research. A stark north/south divide was detected, demonstrating that while research was disproportionately focused in the Northern Hemisphere, mining prospects were overwhelmingly positioned in the Southern Hemisphere. In addition, we provided a ranked assessment of biodiversity in eight major biogeographic provinces, identified knowledge gaps in the available deep-sea hydrothermal vent exploration literature, and assessed sampling completeness to provide further guidance to regulators, managers, and contractors as they develop comprehensive environmental baseline assessments.

scholarly journals 262 Voyages Beneath the Sea: a global assessment of macro- and megafaunal biodiversity and research effort at deep-sea hydrothermal vents

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Thaler ◽  
Diva Amon
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Spreading Center ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Northwest Pacific ◽  
North East ◽  
East Pacific ◽  
Biogeographic Provinces

For over 40 years, hydrothermal vents and the communities that thrive on them have been a source of profound discovery for deep-sea ecologists. These ecosystems are found throughout the world on active plate margins as well as other geologically active features. In addition to their ecologic interest, hydrothermal vent fields are comprised of metallic ores, sparking a nascent industry that aims to mine these metal-rich deposits for their mineral wealth. Here, we provide the first systematic assessment of macrofaunal and megafaunal biodiversity at hydrothermal vents normalized against research effort. Cruise reports from scientific expeditions as well as other literature were used to characterize the extent of exploration, determine the relative biodiversity of different biogeographic provinces, identify knowledge gaps related to the distribution of research effort, and prioritize targets for additional sampling to establish biodiversity baselines ahead of potential commercial exploitation. The Northwest Pacific, Southwest Pacific, and Southern Ocean biogeographic provinces were identified as high biodiversity using rarefaction of family-level incidence data, whereas the North East Pacific Rise, Northern East Pacific, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and Indian Ocean provinces had medium biodiversity, and the Mid-Cayman Spreading Center was identified as a province of relatively low biodiversity. A North/South divide in the extent of biological research and the targets of hydrothermal vent mining prospects was also identified. Finally, we provide an estimate of sampling completeness for each province to inform scientific and stewardship priorities.

scholarly journals 260 Voyages Beneath the Sea: A global assessment of biodiversity and research effort at deep-sea hydrothermal vents

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D Thaler ◽  
Diva Amon
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Spreading Center ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Northwest Pacific ◽  
North East ◽  
East Pacific ◽  
Biogeographic Provinces

For over forty years, hydrothermal vents and the communities that thrive on them have been a source of profound discovery for deep-sea ecologists. These ecosystems are found throughout the world on active plate margins as well as other geologically active features. In addition to their ecologic interest, hydrothermal vent fields are comprised of metallic ores, sparking a nascent industry that aims to mine these metal-rich deposits for their mineral wealth. Here we provide the first systematic assessment of biodiversity at hydrothermal vents normalized against research effort. Cruise reports from scientific expeditions as well as other primary literature were used to characterize the extent of exploration, determine the relative biodiversity of different biogeographic provinces, identify knowledge gaps related to the distribution of research effort, and prioritize targets for additional sampling to establish biodiversity baselines ahead of potential commercial exploitation. The Northwest Pacific, Southwest Pacific, and Southern Ocean biogeographic provinces were identified as high biodiversity using rarefaction of incidence data, whereas the North East Pacific Rise, Northern East Pacific, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and Indian Ocean provinces had medium biodiversity, and the Mid-Cayman Spreading Center was identified as a province of relatively low biodiversity. A North/South divide in the extent of biological research and the targets of hydrothermal vent mining prospects was also identified. Finally, we provide an estimate of sampling completeness for each province to inform scientific and stewardship priorities.

scholarly journals 260 Voyages Beneath the Sea: A global assessment of biodiversity and research effort at deep-sea hydrothermal vents

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D Thaler ◽  
Diva Amon
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Spreading Center ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Northwest Pacific ◽  
North East ◽  
East Pacific ◽  
Biogeographic Provinces

For over forty years, hydrothermal vents and the communities that thrive on them have been a source of profound discovery for deep-sea ecologists. These ecosystems are found throughout the world on active plate margins as well as other geologically active features. In addition to their ecologic interest, hydrothermal vent fields are comprised of metallic ores, sparking a nascent industry that aims to mine these metal-rich deposits for their mineral wealth. Here we provide the first systematic assessment of biodiversity at hydrothermal vents normalized against research effort. Cruise reports from scientific expeditions as well as other primary literature were used to characterize the extent of exploration, determine the relative biodiversity of different biogeographic provinces, identify knowledge gaps related to the distribution of research effort, and prioritize targets for additional sampling to establish biodiversity baselines ahead of potential commercial exploitation. The Northwest Pacific, Southwest Pacific, and Southern Ocean biogeographic provinces were identified as high biodiversity using rarefaction of incidence data, whereas the North East Pacific Rise, Northern East Pacific, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and Indian Ocean provinces had medium biodiversity, and the Mid-Cayman Spreading Center was identified as a province of relatively low biodiversity. A North/South divide in the extent of biological research and the targets of hydrothermal vent mining prospects was also identified. Finally, we provide an estimate of sampling completeness for each province to inform scientific and stewardship priorities.

scholarly journals Sulfide Ameliorates Metal Toxicity for Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Archaea

2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 2551-2555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia P. Edgcomb ◽  
Stephen J. Molyneaux ◽  
Mak A. Saito ◽  
Karen Lloyd ◽  
Simone Böer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Metal Sulfide ◽  
Toxic Metal ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Microbial Life ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Free Metal

ABSTRACT The chemical stress factors for microbial life at deep-sea hydrothermal vents include high concentrations of heavy metals and sulfide. Three hyperthermophilic vent archaea, the sulfur-reducing heterotrophs Thermococcus fumicolans and Pyrococcus strain GB-D and the chemolithoautotrophic methanogen Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, were tested for survival tolerance to heavy metals (Zn, Co, and Cu) and sulfide. The sulfide addition consistently ameliorated the high toxicity of free metal cations by the formation of dissolved metal-sulfide complexes as well as solid precipitates. Thus, chemical speciation of heavy metals with sulfide allows hydrothermal vent archaea to tolerate otherwise toxic metal concentrations in their natural environment.

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 Dual symbiosis in the deep-sea hydrothermal vent snail Gigantopelta aegis revealed by its hologenome

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Lan ◽  
Jin Sun ◽  
Chong Chen ◽  
Yanan Sun ◽  
Yadong Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Snail Host ◽  
Bacterial Symbionts ◽  
Mutualistic Relationship ◽  
Genomic Studies ◽  
Similar Depth ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Chromosome Level

AbstractAnimals endemic to deep-sea hydrothermal vents often form obligatory relationships with bacterial symbionts, maintained by intricate host-symbiont interactions. Endosymbiosis with more than one symbiont is uncommon, and most genomic studies focusing on such ‘dual symbiosis’ systems have not investigated the host and the symbionts to a similar depth simultaneously. Here, we report a novel dual symbiosis among the peltospirid snail Gigantopelta aegis and its two Gammaproteobacteria endosymbionts – one being a sulphur oxidiser and the other a methane oxidiser. We assembled high-quality genomes for all three parties of this holobiont, with a chromosome-level assembly for the snail host (1.15 Gb, N50 = 82 Mb, 15 pseudo-chromosomes). In-depth analyses of these genomes reveal an intimate mutualistic relationship with complementarity in nutrition and metabolic codependency, resulting in a system highly versatile in transportation and utilisation of chemical energy. Moreover, G. aegis has an enhanced immune capability that likely facilitates the possession of more than one type of symbiont. Comparisons with Chrysomallon squamiferum, another chemosymbiotic snail in the same family but only with one sulphur-oxidising endosymbiont, show that the two snails’ sulphur-oxidising endosymbionts are phylogenetically distant, agreeing with previous results that the two snails have evolved endosymbiosis independently and convergently. Notably, the same capabilities of biosynthesis of specific nutrition lacking in the host genome are shared by the two sulphur-oxidising endosymbionts of the two snail genera, which may be a key criterion in the selection of symbionts by the hosts.

Simple harpacticoid composition observed at deep hydrothermal vent sites on sea knoll calderas in the North-west Pacific

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Futa Nakasugi ◽  
Motohiro Shimanaga ◽  
Hidetaka Nomaki ◽  
Hiromi Kayama Watanabe ◽  
Tomo Kitahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
North West ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Carbon Isotopic ◽  
The North ◽  
Spatial Differences

Abstract Dirivultid copepods (Siphonostomatoida), one of the most successful meiobenthic organisms found at deep-sea hydrothermal vents, have been the focus of most previous ecological studies among meiofauna in these habitats. The ecology of Harpacticoida, a major benthic copepod group in typical deep-sea floor, however, is not well understood in terms of variations in community structure and controlling factors at venting sites. The spatial heterogeneities in benthic harpacticoid composition and their association with environmental parameters were investigated at hydrothermal vent chimney structures in the calderas of three neighbouring sea knolls (Bayonnaise Knoll, Myojin Knoll and Myojin-sho Caldera) in the western North Pacific. While a previous study had reported the distribution of dirivultids was strongly associated with spatial differences in stable carbon isotopic signatures (δ13C) of organic matter in the detritus on active chimneys in the field, multivariate analyses detected no significant corelation between the parameter and harpacticoid composition in this study. Instead, high associations of the harpacticoid composition with differences in water depth and total organic carbon (TOC) concentration were detected. Ectinosomatidae dominated at vent sites with lower TOC values in the shallowest Bayonnaise Knoll, while they were less prevalent at deeper vent fields in the other knolls, where Miraciidae was the most abundant family. This study indicated the availability of vent chemoautotrophic carbon is not a primary factor controlling the composition of harpacticoids even in the habitats on the hydrothermal vents, but instead by the food amount, regardless of its resources (including marine snow from the sea surface), in the study area.

A community-supported metaproteomic pipeline for improving peptide identifications in hydrothermal vent microbiota

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yafei Chang ◽  
Qilian Fan ◽  
Jialin Hou ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Jing Li
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Extreme Environments ◽  
Reference Database ◽  
False Discovery Rate Method ◽  
Analysis Strategy ◽  
Gene Database ◽  
And Function ◽  
Functional Profiles

Abstract Microorganisms in deep-sea hydrothermal vents provide valuable insights into life under extreme conditions. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics has been widely used to identify protein expression and function. However, the metaproteomic studies in deep-sea microbiota have been constrained largely by the low identification rates of protein or peptide. To improve the efficiency of metaproteomics for hydrothermal vent microbiota, we firstly constructed a microbial gene database (HVentDB) based on 117 public metagenomic samples from hydrothermal vents and proposed a metaproteomic analysis strategy, which takes the advantages of not only the sample-matched metagenome, but also the metagenomic information released publicly in the community of hydrothermal vents. A two-stage false discovery rate method was followed up to control the risk of false positive. By applying our community-supported strategy to a hydrothermal vent sediment sample, about twice as many peptides were identified when compared with the ways against the sample-matched metagenome or the public reference database. In addition, more enriched and explainable taxonomic and functional profiles were detected by the HVentDB-based approach exclusively, as well as many important proteins involved in methane, amino acid, sugar, glycan metabolism and DNA repair, etc. The new metaproteomic analysis strategy will enhance our understanding of microbiota, including their lifestyles and metabolic capabilities in extreme environments. The database HVentDB is freely accessible from http://lilab.life.sjtu.edu.cn:8080/HventDB/main.html.

A new squat lobster species of the genus Munida Leach, 1820 (Crustacea: Anomura: Galatheoidea: Munididae) from hydrothermal vents on the Eastern Pacific Rise

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4743 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
XINMING LIU ◽  
XINZHENG LI ◽  
RONGCHENG LIN
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Single Specimen ◽  
Squat Lobster ◽  
The Third ◽  
A New Species

A new species of the genus Munida Leach, 1820, is described and illustrated based on a single specimen from the deep-sea hydrothermal vent on the Eastern Pacific Rise. Munida alba sp. nov. closely resembles M. ampliantennulata Komai, 2011, M. watatsumin Komai, 2014. and M. magniantennulata, but differences in the morphologies of the third maxilliped, pollex of the cheliped and the third segment of the antennal peduncle readily distinguish the new species from the three relatives. The new species is the fourth of the genus occurring at the hydrothermal vent areas. 

scholarly journals Cutting through the smoke: the diversity of microorganisms in deep-sea hydrothermal plumes

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 160829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anni Djurhuus ◽  
Svein-Ole Mikalsen ◽  
Helge-Ansgar Giebel ◽  
Alex D. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Black Smoker ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Diffuse Flow ◽  
Environmental Selection

There are still notable gaps regarding the detailed distribution of microorganisms between and within insular habitats such as deep-sea hydrothermal vents. This study investigates the community composition of black smoker vent microorganisms in the Southern Hemisphere, and changes thereof along a spatial and chemical gradient ranging from the vent plume to surrounding waters. We sampled two hydrothermal vent fields, one at the South West Indian Ridge (SWIR), the other at the East Scotia Ridge (ESR). Samples were collected across vent fields at varying vertical distances from the origin of the plumes. The microbial data were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq platform for the 16SrRNA gene. A substantial amount of vent-specific putative chemosynthetic microorganisms were found, particularly in samples from focused hydrothermal venting. Common vent-specific organisms from both vent fields were the genera Arcobacter , Caminibacter and Sulfurimonas from the Epsilonproteobacteria and the SUP05 group from the Gammaproteobacteria. There were no major differences in microbial composition between SWIR and ESR for focused plume samples. However, within the ESR the diffuse flow and focused samples differed significantly in microbial community composition and relative abundance. For Epsilonproteobacteria, we found evidence of niche-specificity to hydrothermal vent environments. This taxon decreased in abundance by three orders of magnitude from the vent orifice to background water. Epsilonproteobacteria distribution followed a distance–decay relationship as vent-effluents mixed with the surrounding seawater. This study demonstrates strong habitat affinity of vent microorganisms on a metre scale with distinct environmental selection.

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