Neanthes goodayi sp. nov. (Annelida, Nereididae), a remarkable new annelid species living inside deep-sea polymetallic nodules

A new species of abyssal Neanthes Kinberg, 1865, N. goodayi sp. nov., is described from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the central Pacific Ocean, a region targeted for seabed mineral exploration for polymetallic nodules. It is a relatively large animal found living inside polymetallic nodules and in xenophyophores (giant Foraminifera) growing on nodules, highlighting the importance of the mineral resource itself as a distinct microhabitat. Neanthes goodayi sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners primarily by its distinctive, enlarged anterior pair of eyes in addition to characters of the head, pharynx and parapodia. Widespread, abundant, and easily recognisable, N. goodayi sp. nov. is also considered to be a suitable candidate as a potential indicator taxon for future monitoring of the impacts of seabed mining.

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Polymetallic nodules are essential for food-web integrity of a prospective deep-seabed mining area in Pacific abyssal plains

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-91703-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tanja Stratmann ◽

Karline Soetaert ◽

Daniel Kersken ◽

Dick van Oevelen

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

Food Web ◽

Mining Area ◽

Central Pacific ◽

Central Pacific Ocean ◽

Polymetallic Nodule ◽

Polymetallic Nodules ◽

Deep Seabed Mining ◽

Seabed Mining ◽

Interaction Web

AbstractPolymetallic nodule fields provide hard substrate for sessile organisms on the abyssal seafloor between 3000 and 6000 m water depth. Deep-seabed mining targets these mineral-rich nodules and will likely modify the consumer-resource (trophic) and substrate-providing (non-trophic) interactions within the abyssal food web. However, the importance of nodules and their associated sessile fauna in supporting food-web integrity remains unclear. Here, we use seafloor imagery and published literature to develop highly-resolved trophic and non-trophic interaction webs for the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ, central Pacific Ocean) and the Peru Basin (PB, South-East Pacific Ocean) and to assess how nodule removal may modify these networks. The CCZ interaction web included 1028 compartments connected with 59,793 links and the PB interaction web consisted of 342 compartments and 8044 links. We show that knock-down effects of nodule removal resulted in a 17.9% (CCZ) to 20.8% (PB) loss of all taxa and 22.8% (PB) to 30.6% (CCZ) loss of network links. Subsequent analysis identified stalked glass sponges living attached to the nodules as key structural species that supported a high diversity of associated fauna. We conclude that polymetallic nodules are critical for food-web integrity and that their absence will likely result in reduced local benthic biodiversity.

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Polymetallic nodules are essential for food-web integrity of a prospective deep-seabed mining area in Pacific abyssal plains

10.1101/2021.02.11.430718 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tanja Stratmann ◽

Karline Soetaert ◽

Daniel Kersken ◽

Dick van Oevelen

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

Food Web ◽

Mining Area ◽

Central Pacific ◽

Central Pacific Ocean ◽

Polymetallic Nodule ◽

Polymetallic Nodules ◽

Deep Seabed Mining ◽

Seabed Mining ◽

Interaction Web

AbstractPolymetallic nodule fields provide hard substrate for sessile organisms on the abyssal seafloor between 3,000 and 6,000 m water depth. Deep-seabed mining targets these mineral-rich nodules and will likely modify the consumer-resource (trophic) and substrate-providing (non-trophic) interactions within the abyssal food web. However, the importance of nodules and their associated sessile fauna in supporting food-web integrity remains unclear. Here, we use seafloor imagery and published literature to develop highly-resolved trophic and non-trophic interaction webs for the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ, central Pacific Ocean) and the Peru Basin (PB, south-east Pacific Ocean) and to assess how nodule removal will modify these networks. The CCZ interaction web included 1,028 compartments connected with 59,793 links and the PB interaction web consisted of 342 compartments and 8,044 links. We show that knock-down effects of nodule removal resulted in a 17.9% (CCZ) to 20.8% (PB) loss of all compartments and 22.8% (PB) to 30.6% (CCZ) loss of network links. Subsequent analysis identified stalked glass sponges living attached to the nodules as key structural species that supported a high diversity of associated fauna. We conclude that polymetallic nodules are critical for food-web integrity and that their absence will likely result in reduced local benthic biodiversity.

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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 ◽

10.1155/2019/3717239 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

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.

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Simultaneous Leaching of Seafloor Massive Sulfides and Polymetallic Nodules

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min9080482 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 482 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Przemyslaw Kowalczuk ◽

Hassan Bouzahzah ◽

Rolf Kleiv ◽

Kurt Aasly

Keyword(s):

Industrial Applications ◽

The Arctic ◽

Central Pacific ◽

Massive Sulfides ◽

Central Pacific Ocean ◽

Polymetallic Nodules ◽

Mid Ocean Ridge ◽

Different Types ◽

Loki’S Castle ◽

Ocean Ridge

Simultaneous leaching of seafloor massive sulfides (SMS) from Loki’s Castle on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge (AMOR) and polymetallic nodules (PN) from Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Central Pacific Ocean was studied. Leaching tests were conducted using sulfuric acid and sodium chloride, at a temperature of 80 °C for 48 h under reflux. The effect of PN-to-SMS ratio was examined. It was shown that simultaneous leaching of two different types of marine resources was possible resulting in high dissolution rates of metals. The proposed process has many advantages as it does not require pyrometallurgical pretreatment, and yields solid products (i.e., silica, barite, elemental sulfur, albite, microcline, muscovite), which might be utilized for various industrial applications.

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Acropora rongelapensis sp. nov., a new species of Acropora from the Marshall Islands (Scleractinia: Astrocoeniina: Acroporidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.590.1.1 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 590 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

ZOE T. RICHARDS ◽

CARDEN C. WALLACE

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Pacific Ocean ◽

Coral Species ◽

Marshall Islands ◽

Central Pacific ◽

Diagnostic Characters ◽

Central Pacific Ocean ◽

The Republic ◽

Distinguishing Features ◽

A New Species

A new coral species, Acropora rongelapensis, from the northern central Pacific Ocean is described. On present records, this species appears to be endemic to the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Distinguishing features of the species include sub-flattened branches with widely separated radial corallites born laterally. Diagnostic characters of the new species place it within the Acropora loripes group.

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