The Discovery of New Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Communities in the Southern Ocean and Implications for Biogeography

Rogers, Alex D.; Tyler, Paul A.; Connelly, Douglas P.; Copley, Jonathan T.; James, Rachael H.; Larter, Robert D; Linse, Katrin; Mills, Rachel A.; Garabato, Alberto C. Naveira; Pancost, Richard D.; Pearce, David A.; Polunin, Nicholas V. C.; German, Christopher R.; Shank, Timothy M.; Boersch‐Supan, Philipp H.; Alker, Belinda; Aquilina, Alfred; Bennett, Sarah A.; Clarke, Andrew; Dinley, Robert J. J.; Graham, Alastair G C; Green, Darryl R H; Hawkes, Jeffrey A.; Hepburn, Laura; Hilario, Ana Belén Ríos; Huvenne, Veerle A.I.; Marsh, Leigh; Ramirez-Llodra, Eva; Reid, William D.; Roterman, Christopher Nicolai; Sweeting, Christopher J.; Thatje, Sven; Zwirglmaier, Katrin

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001234

Cited by 236 publications

(319 citation statements)

References 71 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

309

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, knowledge of the vent fauna in the Kairei and Edmond fields was limited and specificity of vent fauna in the Indian Ocean is still under discussion (Bachraty et al 2009;Rogers et al 2012). The present review updates the previous dataset, along with those shown in Kojima and Watanabe (Chap.…”

Section: Faunal Similarities With Other Biogeographical Regionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vent Fauna on the Central Indian Ridge

Watanabe

Beedessee

2014

Subseafloor Biosphere Linked to Hydrothermal Systems

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In deep-sea hydrothermal vent fields, faunal distribution is associated with the geochemical environments generated by hydrothermal vent activity. Hydrothermal vent fields on the Central Indian Ridge (CIR) are associated with vent fauna which is thought as a mixture of Atlantic and Pacific and are discretely distributed along the ridge axis of more than 1,000 km apart. In this chapter, faunal distribution in hydrothermal vent fields on the CIR is summarized at the intra-and inter-field levels. The species composition of the vent fauna in the four vent fields hitherto known is reviewed and updated, and faunal resemblance among the four vent fields of the CIR appears to reflect the number of species recorded, indicating that faunal surveys are not sufficient in describing the whole vent fauna on the CIR. All the genetic studies of the CIR vent fauna have indicated a high genetic connectivity among the local populations, despite the many potential dispersal barriers existing between the vent fields. On the basis of the spatial distribution of vent species in a vent field, typical vent fields on the CIR were classified into six zones, of which the central two zones are often covered by Rimicaris swarms in the Kairei and Edmond fields. The close relationship between vent fauna from the CIR and the western Pacific, compared to those from other regions, is highlighted. Knowledge of the Indian Ocean vent fauna is limited, and further quantitative information on the biodiversity of vent fauna will provide clues to the formation of biogeographical regions and the dispersal of vent fauna among deep-sea hydrothermal vent fields. Keywords

show abstract

Section: Faunal Similarities With Other Biogeographical Regionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vent Fauna on the Central Indian Ridge

Watanabe

Beedessee

2014

Subseafloor Biosphere Linked to Hydrothermal Systems

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Newly found seamounts are likely to be biodiversity hotspots, especially where hydrothermally active. New discoveries of submarine hydrothermal vents with associated communities in the backarc and arc are among the most remote in the World's oceans (Rogers et al, 2012).All the volcanoes forming the curved volcanic front are recently volcanically active or currently hydrothermally active, or both (Holdgate, 1963;Gass et al, 1963;Baker, 1990;Lachlan-Cope et al, 2001;Leat et al, 2003;Patrick et al, 2005;Patrick and Smellie, 2013). Even within the short period (less than 100 years) of historical records, eruptions from the South Sandwich arc have been varied, ranging from submarine explosive eruptions (Protector Shoal, 1962) through strombolian eruptions with associated lava flows (Montagu Island, 2001 and Bristol Island, 1956, to possible lava lake activity (Saunders Island, 1995.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Volcanic evolution of the South Sandwich volcanic arc, South Atlantic, from multibeam bathymetry

Leat

Day

Tate

et al. 2013

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

New multibeam bathymetry data are presented for the South Sandwich intra-oceanic arc which occupies the small Sandwich plate in the South Atlantic, and is widely considered to be a simple end-member in the range of intra-oceanic arc types. The images show for the first time the distribution of submarine volcanic, tectonic and erosional-depositional features along the whole length of the 540 km long volcanic arc, allowing systematic investigation of along-arc variations. The data confirm that the volcanic arc has a simple structure composed of large volcanoes which form a well-defined volcanic front, but with three parallel crosscutting seamount chains extending 38-60 km from near the volcanic front into the rear-arc. There is no evidence for intra-arc rifting or extinct volcanic lines. Topographic evidence for faulting is generally absent, except near the northern and southern plate boundaries. Most of the volcanic arc appears to be built on ocean crust formed at the associated back-arc spreading centre, as previously proposed from magnetic data, but the southern part of the arc appears to be underlain by older arc or continental crust whose west-facing rifted margin facing the back-arc basin is defined by the new bathymetry. The new survey shows nine main volcanic edifices along the volcanic front and ca. 20 main seamounts. The main volcanoes form largely glaciated islands with summits 3.0-3.5 km above base levels which are 2500-3000 m deep in the north and shallower at 2000-2500 m deep in the south. Some of the component seamounts are interpreted to have been active since the last glacial maximum, and so are approximately contemporaneous with the volcanic front volcanism. Seven calderas, all either submarine or ice-filled, have been identified: Adventure volcano, a newly discovered submarine volcanic front caldera volcano is described for the first time. All but one of the calderas are situated on summits of large volcanoes in the southern part of the arc, and most are associated with current or historic volcanic or hydrothermal activity. Shallow shelves around the islands are generally 1-10 km wide. Submerged banks up to 1100 m deep are interpreted as subsided erosional surfaces. Seamounts and emergent volcanoes experienced a range of mass wasting processes including by landsliding and smaller mass flows. KeywordsVolcanic arc, subduction zone, caldera, seamount, submarine volcanism The importance of the South Sandwich volcanic arcThe South Sandwich volcanic arc, situated in the South Atlantic ( Fig. 1), is a tectonically simple, active, intra-oceanic arc, and is ideally suited to studies of volcanic arc crustal structure, geochemical investigation of mantle processes above a subduction zone, and sedimentation in an early stage of arc evolution. The active arc is built largely on oceanic crust of the small Sandwich plate which formed about 10 Ma at the back-arc East Scotia ridge spreading centre . The arc is forming in response to steeply inclined subduction of the South American plate beneath the Sand...

show abstract

“…), a geochemical sea floor analysis, and the lack of hydroacoustically detectable gas emissions. Apart from at this single extinct cold seep site, naturally occurring chemosynthetic organisms 5 have also been found in the Southern Ocean at hydrothermal vents in the Bransfield Straight 6,7 and the South Sandwich back-arc 8 , and at a whale fall from the Kemp Caldera 9 . The paucity 50 of records of chemosynthesis-based communities in the Southern Oceans can be partly explained by a lack of exploration, due to the challenging and remote conditions in this region 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

First evidence of widespread active methane seepage in the Southern Ocean, off the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia

Römer

Torres

Kasten

et al. 2014

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

25A new extensive submarine cold-seep area was discovered on the northern shelf of South Georgia during R/V Polarstern cruise ANT-XXIX/4 in spring 2013. Hydroacoustic surveys and video-based sea floor observations documented the presence of 133 individual gas bubble emissions, which were restricted to glacially-formed fjords and troughs. Effective methane transport from these emissions into the hydrosphere was proven by relative enrichments of dissolved methane in near-bottom 30 waters. Stable carbon isotopic signatures of the methane pointed to a predominant microbial origin.Although known from many continental margins in the world's oceans, this is the first report of an active area of methane seepage in the Southern Ocean. Our finding of substantial methane emission related to a trough and fjord system, a topographical setting that exists commonly in glaciallyaffected areas, opens up the possibility that methane seepage is a more widespread phenomenon in 35 polar and sub-polar regions than previously thought.

show abstract

The Discovery of New Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Communities in the Southern Ocean and Implications for Biogeography

Abstract: A survey of Antarctic waters along the East Scotia Ridge in the Southern Ocean reveals a new vent biogeographic province among previously uncharacterized deep-sea hydrothermal vent communities.

Cited by 236 publications

References 71 publications

Vent Fauna on the Central Indian Ridge

Vent Fauna on the Central Indian Ridge

Volcanic evolution of the South Sandwich volcanic arc, South Atlantic, from multibeam bathymetry

First evidence of widespread active methane seepage in the Southern Ocean, off the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About