Do Hydrothermal Shrimp Smell Vents?

Deep-sea species endemic to hydrothermal vents face the critical challenge of detecting active sites in a vast environment devoid of sunlight. This certainly requires specific sensory abilities, among which olfaction could be a relevant sensory modality, since chemical compounds in hydrothermal fluids or food odors could potentially serve as orientation cues. The temperature of the vent fluid might also be used for locating vent sites. The objective of this study is to observe the following key behaviors of olfaction in hydrothermal shrimp, which could provide an insight into their olfactory capacities: (1) grooming behavior; (2) attraction to environmental cues (food odors and fluid markers). We designed experiments at both deep-sea and atmospheric pressure to assess the behavior of the vent shrimp Rimicaris exoculata and Mirocaris fortunata, as well as of the coastal species Palaemon elegans and Palaemon serratus for comparison. Here, we show that hydrothermal shrimp groom their sensory appendages similarly to other crustaceans, but this does not clean the dense bacterial biofilm that covers the olfactory structures. These shrimp have previously been shown to possess functional sensory structures, and to detect the environmental olfactory signals tested, but we do not observe significant attraction behavior here. Only temperature, as a signature of vent fluids, clearly attracts vent shrimp and thus is confirmed to be a relevant signal for orientation in their environment.

Download Full-text

Mercury concentrations in invertebrates from Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vent fields

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315401004830 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 81 (6) ◽

pp. 913-915 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

I. Martins ◽

V. Costa ◽

F. Porteiro ◽

A. Cravo ◽

R.S. Santos

Keyword(s):

Hydrothermal Vent ◽

Methyl Mercury ◽

Hydrothermal Vents ◽

Lucky Strike ◽

Rimicaris Exoculata ◽

Coastal Species ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Mid Atlantic Ridge ◽

Total Hg ◽

Menez Gwen

Mercury determinations were carried out in mussels (Bathymodiolus azoricus) from three Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vents (Lucky Strike, Menez Gwen and Rainbow) and shrimps (Rimicaris exoculata and Mirocaris fortunata) from Rainbow. Among the three hydrothermal vents, mussels of Menez Gwen show the highest levels of total Hg and comparing mussels and shrimps from Rainbow the former show more Hg than shrimps. Mussels from different hydrothermal vents are exposed to different kinds of environment which may result in distinct bioaccumulation processes. Detoxification processes in shrimps are related to the low concentrations found. When compared with coastal species from unpolluted sites, mussels show higher concentrations of total Hg and shrimps lower levels. The methyl-mercury concentrations found were very low, not exceeding the detection limit of the technique.

Download Full-text

Rimicaris exoculata: biology and ecology of a shrimp from deep-sea hydrothermal vents associated with ectosymbiotic bacteria

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13467 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 652 ◽

pp. 187-222

Author(s):

M Zbinden ◽

MA Cambon-Bonavita

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

Hydrothermal Vents ◽

Oxygen Affinity ◽

Circulatory System ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Global Scale ◽

Rimicaris Exoculata ◽

Place Memory ◽

Pass Through ◽

Chemoautotrophic Bacteria

Rimicaris exoculata, the ‘blind shrimp,’ is the most abundant species living on active hydrothermal edifices at deep-sea vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Its unusually enlarged branchial chamber houses a dense ectosymbiotic community of chemoautotrophic bacteria. Long debated, shrimp nutrition has been proven to be a kind of osmotrophy, whereby small organic molecules produced by the symbionts pass through the integument of the shrimp directly into the circulatory system, rather than through the digestive system. The broad phylogenetic and metabolic diversity of this epibiotic community suggests a highly flexible and adjustable microbial consortium, adapted to the chemically contrasting environments inhabited by the shrimp. To cope with the highly fluctuating oxygen and temperature conditions of its habitat, R. exoculata possesses hemocyanin with a strong oxygen affinity, and has developed both molecular and behavioral responses to heat stresses. If R. exoculata is able to detect very dim light or chemical compounds emitted by vents, the relatively small visual and olfactory areas in the brain, along with the disproportionately enlarged higher centers, argue for a significant involvement of navigational skills using learning and place memory to orient itself within its aphotic environment. This shrimp undergoes unconventional larval development, with a primary lecithotrophic stage followed by an extended planktotrophic period, allowing a huge potential for dispersion. In light of mining licenses posing a threat for deep-sea environments, this species is a model still to be studied to better understand life in extreme deep-sea ecosystems at the global scale of an ocean.

Download Full-text

Faculty Opinions recommendation of Larvae from afar colonize deep-sea hydrothermal vents after a catastrophic eruption.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.3582961.3290061 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Gretchen Hofmann ◽

Pauline C Yu

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

Hydrothermal Vents

Download Full-text

Trophic influences of metal accumulation in natural pollution laboratories at deep-sea hydrothermal vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.12.022 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 373 (2-3) ◽

pp. 464-472 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Enikõ Kádár ◽

Valentina Costa ◽

Michel Segonzac

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

Hydrothermal Vents ◽

Metal Accumulation ◽

Mid Atlantic Ridge

Download Full-text

The microbiology of deep-sea hydrothermal vents

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology ◽

10.1016/s0022-0981(96)90038-6 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 196 (1-2) ◽

pp. 378-380

Author(s):

Barry Cragg

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

Hydrothermal Vents

Download Full-text

Nematode succession at deep-sea hydrothermal vents after a recent volcanic eruption with the description of two dominant species

Organisms Diversity & Evolution ◽

10.1007/s13127-012-0122-2 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 349-371 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Sabine Gollner ◽

Maria Miljutina ◽

Monika Bright

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

Volcanic Eruption ◽

Hydrothermal Vents ◽

Dominant Species

Download Full-text

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

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.67.10.4566-4572.2001 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 67 (10) ◽

pp. 4566-4572 ◽

Cited By ~ 102

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.

Download Full-text

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

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315405011318h ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 85 (2) ◽

pp. 383-402 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

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.

Download Full-text

Niche partitioning in the Rimicaris exoculata holobiont: the case of the first symbiotic Zetaproteobacteria

Microbiome ◽

10.1186/s40168-021-01045-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marie-Anne Cambon-Bonavita ◽

Johanne Aubé ◽

Valérie Cueff-Gauchard ◽

Julie Reveillaud

Keyword(s):

Hydrothermal Vents ◽

Carbon Fixation ◽

Iron Sulfide ◽

Hydrogen Oxidation ◽

Niche Partitioning ◽

Sulfur Oxidation ◽

Single Copy ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

Rimicaris Exoculata ◽

Close Relatives

Abstract Background Free-living and symbiotic chemosynthetic microbial communities support primary production and higher trophic levels in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. The shrimp Rimicaris exoculata, which dominates animal communities along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, houses a complex bacterial community in its enlarged cephalothorax. The dominant bacteria present are from the taxonomic groups Campylobacteria, Desulfobulbia (formerly Deltaproteobacteria), Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and some recently discovered iron oxyhydroxide-coated Zetaproteobacteria. This epibiotic consortium uses iron, sulfide, methane, and hydrogen as energy sources. Here, we generated shotgun metagenomes from Rimicaris exoculata cephalothoracic epibiotic communities to reconstruct and investigate symbiotic genomes. We collected specimens from three geochemically contrasted vent fields, TAG, Rainbow, and Snake Pit, to unravel the specificity, variability, and adaptation of Rimicaris–microbe associations. Results Our data enabled us to reconstruct 49 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the TAG and Rainbow vent fields, including 16 with more than 90% completion and less than 5% contamination based on single copy core genes. These MAGs belonged to the dominant Campylobacteria, Desulfobulbia, Thiotrichaceae, and some novel candidate phyla radiation (CPR) lineages. In addition, most importantly, two MAGs in our collection were affiliated to Zetaproteobacteria and had no close relatives (average nucleotide identity ANI < 77% with the closest relative Ghiorsea bivora isolated from TAG, and 88% with each other), suggesting potential novel species. Genes for Calvin-Benson Bassham (CBB) carbon fixation, iron, and sulfur oxidation, as well as nitrate reduction, occurred in both MAGs. However, genes for hydrogen oxidation and multicopper oxidases occurred in one MAG only, suggesting shared and specific potential functions for these two novel Zetaproteobacteria symbiotic lineages. Overall, we observed highly similar symbionts co-existing in a single shrimp at both the basaltic TAG and ultramafic Rainbow vent sites. Nevertheless, further examination of the seeming functional redundancy among these epibionts revealed important differences. Conclusion These data highlight microniche partitioning in the Rimicaris holobiont and support recent studies showing that functional diversity enables multiple symbiont strains to coexist in animals colonizing hydrothermal vents.

Download Full-text