Blake Ridge methane seeps: characterization of a soft-sediment, chemosynthetically based ecosystem

Dover, Cindy Lee Van; Aharon, Paul; Bernhard, Joan M.; Caylor, E.; Doerries, M.B.; Flickinger, W. B.; Gilhooly, William P.; Goffredi, Shana K.; Knick, Kathleen E.; Macko, Stephen A.; Rapoport, S.; Raulfs, E.C.; Ruppel, Carolyn D.; Salerno, Jennifer L.; Seitz, RD; Gupta, Barun K. Sen; Shank, Timothy M.; Turnipseed, Mary; Vrijenhoek, Robert C.

doi:10.1016/s0967-0637(02)00162-0

Cited by 169 publications

(164 citation statements)

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“…The thiotrophic bacterial symbionts of the two new Bathymodiolus species are 99 per cent similar (based on 16S rRNA) to B. thermophilus from vents of the East Pacific Rise and to those in mussels from the seeps of the Gulf of Mexico ( [36]; electronic supplementary material, table S5). The multiple morphologies of L. barhami at Jaco Scar (spherical bushes and continuous [40], but are known from seeps at Blake Ridge in the Atlantic [41], and as an early stage in organic fall succession [42]. Many of the gastropod genera present such as Lepetodrilus, Bathyacmaea, Fucaria and Neomphalidae new genus (electronic supplementary material, table S6) are most often found at vents [43] but others, including Margarites, Neolepetopsis and Provanna also occur at seeps [44].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A hydrothermal seep on the Costa Rica margin: middle ground in a continuum of reducing ecosystems

et al. 2012

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Upon their initial discovery, hydrothermal vents and methane seeps were considered to be related but distinct ecosystems, with different distributions, geomorphology, temperatures, geochemical properties and mostly different species. However, subsequently discovered vents and seep systems have blurred this distinction. Here, we report on a composite, hydrothermal seep ecosystem at a subducting seamount on the convergent Costa Rica margin that represents an intermediate between vent and seep ecosystems. Diffuse flow of shimmering, warm fluids with high methane concentrations supports a mixture of microbes, animal species, assemblages and trophic pathways with vent and seep affinities. Their coexistence reinforces the continuity of reducing environments and exemplifies a setting conducive to interactive evolution of vent and seep biota.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A hydrothermal seep on the Costa Rica margin: middle ground in a continuum of reducing ecosystems

et al. 2012

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“…Among the Vesicomyidae, very small sized species are probably infaunal [17], whereas species larger than 25 mm have been shown to be epifaunal [18,19]; thus vesicomyids smaller than 25 mm were assigned to the infauna. The Late Jurassic to Cretaceous bivalve Caspiconcha is regarded as chemosymbiotic because it is very large sized and very abundant at many seep deposits, and all large and abundant bivalves at modern seeps are chemosymbiotic [20,21].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did shifting seawater sulfate concentrations drive the evolution of deep-sea methane-seep ecosystems?

Kiel

2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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The origin and evolution of the faunas inhabiting deep-sea hydrothermal vents and methane seeps have been debated for decades. These faunas rely on a local source of sulfide and other reduced chemicals for nutrition, which spawned the hypothesis that their evolutionary history is independent from that of photosynthesis-based food chains and instead driven by extinction events caused by deep-sea anoxia. Here I use the fossil record of seep molluscs to show that trends in body size, relative abundance and epifaunal/infaunal ratios track current estimates of seawater sulfate concentrations through the last 150 Myr. Furthermore, the two main faunal turnovers during this time interval coincide with major changes in seawater sulfate concentrations. Because sulfide at seeps originates mostly from seawater sulfate, variations in sulfate concentrations should directly affect the base of the food chain of this ecosystem and are thus the likely driver of the observed macroecologic and evolutionary patterns. The results imply that the methane-seep fauna evolved largely independently from developments and mass extinctions affecting the photosynthesis-based biosphere and add to the growing body of evidence that the chemical evolution of the oceans had a major impact on the evolution of marine life.

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“…1 (Cordes et al, 2007;Van Dover et al, 2003;Génio et al, 2008;Olu-LeRoy et al, 2007b). These examples provide important insights into the speciation and the evolutionary context for the present biogeography of chemosynthetic mytilids in the area of interest.…”

Section: Connectivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other areas have been less intensively investigated, such as deep hydrothermal vents in the Caribbean Sea (Piccard vent field, Mid-Cayman Ridge). Cold seeps are beginning to be explored in the Barbados prism, the east American margin (Blake Ridge), the Sea of Marmara, the eastern Mediterranean (Olimpi mud field, Anaximander mounds, Nile deep-sea fan), the Gulf of Cadiz (various mud volcanoes), the Norwegian margin (Haakon Mosby mud volcano and Storegga Slide), the Gulf of Guinea (Guiness, Regab, Kouilou), the Arctic margin (Loki's castle), the Caribbean Sea off Colombia, and the Laurentian deep-sea fan (Connelly et al, 2012;Cosel and Olu, 2009;Van Dover et al, 2003;Gebruk et al, 2003;Gracia et al, 2012;Olu et al, 1996;Olu-LeRoy et al, 2007a;Sahling et al, 2008.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides documented chemosynthetic gill-associated symbionts, deep-sea mytilids were shown to be affected by several potentially pathogenic micro-organisms, including viruses, prokaryotes, and ciliates (Ward et al, 2004). The most intriguing potential pathogen yet is a lineage of intranuclear Gammaproteobacteria related to various sequences recovered from clone libraries from metazoans (Zielinski et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An overview of chemosynthetic symbioses in bivalves from the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea

et al. 2013

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Deep-sea bivalves found at hydrothermal vents, cold seeps and organic falls are sustained by chemosynthetic bacteria that ensure part or all of their carbon nutrition. These symbioses are of prime importance for the functioning of the ecosystems. Similar symbioses occur in other bivalve species living in shallow and coastal reduced habitats worldwide. In recent years, several deep-sea species have been investigated from continental margins around Europe, West Africa, eastern Americas, the Gulf of Mexico, and from hydrothermal vents on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In parallel, numerous, more easily accessible shallow marine species have been studied. Herein we provide a summary of the current knowledge available on chemosymbiotic bivalves in the area ranging west-to-east from the Gulf of Mexico to the Sea of Marmara, and north-to-south from the Arctic to the Gulf of Guinea. Characteristics of symbioses in 53 species from the area are summarized for each of the five bivalve families documented to harbor chemosynthetic symbionts (Mytilidae, Vesicomyidae, Solemyidae, Thyasiridae and Lucinidae). Comparisons are made between the families, with special emphasis on ecology, life cycle, and connectivity. Chemosynthetic symbioses are a major adaptation to ecosystems and habitats exposed to reducing conditions. However, relatively little is known regarding their diversity and functioning, apart from a few "model species" on which effort has focused over the last 30 yr. In the context of increasing concern about biodiversity and ecosystems, and increasing anthropogenic pressure on oceans, we advocate a better assessment of the diversity of bivalve symbioses in order to evaluate the capacities of these remarkable ecological and evolutionary units to withstand environmental change

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Blake Ridge methane seeps: characterization of a soft-sediment, chemosynthetically based ecosystem

Cited by 169 publications

References 50 publications

A hydrothermal seep on the Costa Rica margin: middle ground in a continuum of reducing ecosystems

A hydrothermal seep on the Costa Rica margin: middle ground in a continuum of reducing ecosystems

Did shifting seawater sulfate concentrations drive the evolution of deep-sea methane-seep ecosystems?

An overview of chemosynthetic symbioses in bivalves from the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea

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