Megafauna associated with hydrothermal vents in the Manus Back-Arc Basin (Bismarck Sea)

doi:10.1016/S0025-3227(97)00051-0

Marine Geology

Volume 142, Issues 1–4, October 1997, Pages 197-206

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-3227(97)00051-0 Get rights and content

Abstract

The vent fauna of Manus Back-Arc Basin were investigated during the 21st cruise of the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh in May–June 1990. Communities associated with three active hydrothermal fields were explored during a series of dives by the DSRV Mir. At least sixteen vent species were collected; some of them are new. Material for physiological and biochemical analyses was collected as well. Special attention was paid to the exploration of spatial distribution of animals. Distributional information is combined with our knowledge on the biology of animals to construct a food web of the community. Species composition of the communities investigated is similar but relative abundance varies. These differences seem to be a result of temporal changes in the communities. Early stages of the cycle of the Manus Basin vents are hypothetically dominated by vestimentiferans but mesogastropods will replace them with time. Faunal composition and community structure of the Manus Basin reinforce the likelihood that the hydrothermal vents of western Pacific spreading centres have been in communication with each other. The Manus Basin vent fauna displays close affinity with the communities of the North Fiji and Lau Basins as compared with the Mariana Trough vent region.

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Multi-element stable isotope geochemistry and arsenic speciation of hydrothermal vent fauna (Alviniconcha sp., Ifremeria nautilei and Eochionelasmus ohtai manusensis), Manus Basin, Papua New Guinea
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Deep-sea hydrothermal vent communities, revealing patterns of niche partitioning, live in a limited area characterised by sharp physico-chemical gradients. In this study, we investigated carbon, sulfur, nitrogen stable isotopes as well as arsenic (As) speciations and concentrations for two snails (Alviniconcha sp. and Ifremeria nautilei) and a crustacean, (Eochionelasmus ohtai manusensis), occupying distinct niches in the hydrothermal vent field of the Vienna Woods, Manus Basin, Western Pacific. δ¹³C values of Alviniconcha sp. (foot), I. nautilei (foot and chitin) and E. o. manusensis (soft tissue) are similar, from −28 to −33‰ (V-PDB). The δ¹⁵N values of Alviniconcha sp. (foot and chitin), I. nautilei (foot and chitin) and E. o. manusensis (soft tissue) range from 8.4 to 10.6‰. The δ³⁴S values of Alviniconcha sp. (foot and chitin), I. nautilei (foot) and E. o. manusensis (soft tissue) range from 5.9 to 11.1‰. Using stable isotopes, for the first time, we inferred a Calvin-Benson (RuBisCo) metabolic pathway for Alviniconcha sp. along with the presence of γ-Proteobacteria symbionts for the Vienna Woods communities. For I. nautilei, a feeding pattern is proposed with γ-Proteobacteria symbiosis and a Calvin–Benson–Bassham diet with mixotrophic feeding. E. ohtai manusensis is filtering bacteria with a CBB feeding strategy, with δ¹⁵N values indicating possible higher position in the trophic chain.
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The deep sea is subject to multiple anthropogenic disturbances, to which may soon be added mining of hydrothermally-formed seafloor massive sulfides (SMS). As a first step towards a full Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) for SMS mining, ecological sensitivity to mining activities was assessed based on the functional traits of benthic megafaunal taxa. Faunal distribution and abundance data at two different spatial scales (within seamount and within site) were used from two video surveys conducted at un-fished SMS deposit-hosting seamounts on the Kermadec Volcanic Arc, New Zealand. For each of the 157 taxa identified in the seamount and site surveys, sensitivity was scored for six functional traits: adult size, environmental position, living habit, feeding habit, mobility, and structural fragility. Sensitivity (very low, low, intermediate, high, very high) was scored separately for three mining disturbances: passage of mining vehicles along the seafloor, sediment plumes generated by mining activity, and mineral extraction. The effects of different abundance and diversity weightings on the results were explored and transformations chosen based on ecological rationale. Sensitivity to mining impacts was summed within samples and mapped to show the spatial distribution of sensitivity. Samples (assemblages) consisted of 173 individual 200 m transects for seamount survey data and 153 individual 15 m transects for site survey data. For both spatial scales, the sensitivity of taxa and the sensitivity summed within each sample (assemblage) was greatest to mineral extraction, followed by plume impacts, and least sensitive to vehicle impacts. The location of most very highly sensitive assemblages coincided with the occurrence of hydrothermal vent taxa or previously mapped locations for hydrothermally active habitat. Highly sensitive assemblages occurred at hydrothermally inactive sulfide structures, such as chimneys, and other locations where assemblages were dominated by fragile, sessile, suspension-feeding taxa, such as scleractinian branching corals. The approach taken here illustrates spatial patterns in sensitivity within seamounts and sites and provides an important first step towards a more comprehensive ERA. This type of assessment has the potential to inform decisions on spatial management of SMS mining activities, and the suitable placement of area-based management measures, such as protected areas.
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The deep-sea ecosystem is considered as the largest and most remote biome of the world. It is meaningful and important to elucidate the life origins by exploring the origin and adaptive genetic mechanisms of the large deep-sea organisms. Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea) are abundant and economically important group of echinoderms, living from the shallow-waters to deep-sea. In this study, we present the mitochondrial genomes of the sea cucumber Chiridota heheva and Chiridota sp. collected from the deep-sea cold seep and hydrothermal vent, respectively. This is the first reported mitochondrial genomes from the order Apodida. The mitochondrial genomes of C. heheva (17,200 bp) and Chiridota sp. (17,199 bp) display novel gene arrangements with the first protein-coding gene rearrangements in the class Holothuroidea. Bases composition analysis showed that the A + T content of deep-sea holothurians were significantly higher than that of the shallow-water groups. We compared the arrangement of genes from the 24 available holothurian mitogenomes and found that the transposition, reverse transposition and tandem-duplication-random-losses (TDRL) may be involved in the evolution of mitochondrial gene arrangements in Holothuroidea. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Apodida clustered with Elasipodida, forming two basal deep-sea holothurian clades. The divergence between the deep-sea and shallow-water holothurians was located at 386.93 Mya, during the Late Devonian. Mitochondrial protein-coding genes of deep-sea holothurians underwent relaxed purifying selection. There are 57 positive selected amino acids sites for some mitochondrial genes of the three deep-sea clades, implying they may involve in the adaption of deep-sea sea cucumbers.
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Citation Excerpt :
More recently, carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of dominant taxa at the PACMANUS and Desmos Caldera vent sites within Manus Basin have been published (Wang et al., 2018). A 2008 field campaign in Manus Basin provided an opportunity to sample and analyze a greater diversity of vent invertebrates (31 taxa) from multiple vent fields (Solwara 1, South Su, PACMANUS; Fig. 1) to i) infer isotopic sources and trophic interactions, ii) add detail to the descriptive Galkin food-web model for Manus Basin vent ecosystems (Galkin, 1997), iii) test whether there may be environmentally influenced differences in isotopic niche space among sites, and iv) motivate discussion regarding indicators that can be used to summarize complex information and assess the status of food webs in chemoautotrophic (and other) deep-ses ecosystems. Animals were collected in July and August 2008 aboard the Merchant Vessel NorSky (S. Smith, Chief Scientist) from the Solwara 1 (formerly known as Suzette), South Su, and PACMANUS (Thal et al., 2014) hydrothermal vents fields (Table 1; Fig. 1).
Food webs and trophic interactions provide a measure of ecosystem function and have been highlighted as an important element for environmental baselines and environmental impact assessments. Stable isotopes have long been used in the deep sea as a means to explore and summarize food webs, especially in chemosynthetic ecosystems, where there may be multiple sources of primary production with distinctive isotopic compositions. Hydrothermal vents in Manus Basin have been targeted for mining and, if mining proceeds, vent food webs will be altered. Here we describe a pre-mining baseline for the food-web state for 3 active vent fields. Manus vents support at least 9 feeding guilds, and both reverse TriCarboxylic Acid (rTCA) and Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) carbon fixation pathways are inferred for symbionts of holobiont taxa. There are site differences in the C-N-S isotopic trait spaces (convex hulls) of Manus Basin vent food webs that likely reflect environmental variability. Isotopic diversity metrics (divergence, dispersion, evenness) are similar in Solwara 1, South Su, and PACMANUS vent food webs, but South Su has a higher degree of isolation in isotopic space (uniqueness). Because convex hull and isotopic diversity metrics are easy to calculate from multidimensional isotopic data, they may be useful food-web indicators for environmental management.
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Citation Excerpt :
One of the most extended and active hydrothermal fields of the Manus Spreading Center, Western Pacific, is the hydrothermal field 1, Vienna Woods (Tufar, 1990). The heterogenous faunal composition found as this site consists of snails, barnacles, bythograeid crabs, bresiliid shrimps, vestimentiferans and sea anemones as described by Galkin (1997) and Collins et al. (2012). Manus Basin community structure is very similar to that found in Lau and Fiji Basins (Galkin, 1997; Bachraty et al., 2009).
Deep-sea vent communities live on a limited area characterized by sharp physico-chemical (temperature, salinity, pH) gradients. Around the vent, the fauna is distributed accordingly, showing characteristic niche partitioning for different groups of animals. In this study we investigate shell microstructure, minor elements and stable isotope compositions of two groups of organisms such as a snail, Ifremeria nautilei, and a crustacean, Eochionelasmus ohtai manusensis. Both organisms occupy distinct niches within the same hydrothermal vent field of the Manus Basin, Western Pacific. Powder XRD and electron microbeam analysis of a polished cross-section indicate that the shells are composed of microcrystalline calcite, with distinct Na, Mg, Sr, and S element contents. For both specimens 20–30 µm large weddellite crystals were found. The δ¹⁸O profiles were obtained perpendicular to the growth increments of I. nautilei and E. o. manusensis calcitic shells. Those profiles reveal isotopic variations of 0.5 and 0.6‰, respectively for both intra- and inter-shell measurements. For E. o. manusensis, the Mg content suggests continuous shell growth during the year, both δ¹⁸O and Mg data supporting cyclical variation of temperature at vent site. The calculated temperatures at sites with I. nautilei and E. o. manusensis range from 17° to 21.5°C and from 2.1° to 7.2°C, respectively, showing a similar variability of 5–6 °C. The δ¹³C values of the Ifremeria calcitic shell range from 3‰ to 4.6‰ (V-PDB), the isotopic composition being ¹³C-enriched relative to the surrounding inorganic pool. The δ¹³C values of the chitine layer covering the shell range from − 33 to − 31.1‰. The δ¹³C values of Eochionelasmus vary between 0‰ and 1‰, reflecting the surrounding inorganic DIC pool.

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Megafauna associated with hydrothermal vents in the Manus Back-Arc Basin (Bismarck Sea)

Abstract

Deep-Sea Res.

Le cadre géologique d'un site hydrothermal actif: la campagne STARMER I du submersible nautile dans le Basin Nord-Fijien

C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. II

Olgaconcha tufari n. gen. et n. sp. — a new mesogastropod (Gastropoda; Prosobranchia) from hydrothermal vents in the Manus Back-Arc Basin (Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea)

Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien

Hydrothermal chimneys ad associated fauna in the Manus back-arc basin, Papua New Guinea

EOS

Ifremeria nautilei, nouveau gasteropoda d'évents hydrothermaux, probablement associéà des bacéries symbiotiques

C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. III

Bacterial colonization and endocytosis on the gill of a new limpet species from a hydrothermal vent

Mar. Biol.

Pamlvinella hessleri, new species of Alvinellidae (Polychaeta) from the Mariana backarc basin hydrothermal vents

Deep sea hydrothermal communities in two back-arc basins of the South Pacific: composition, microdistribution and food web

The symbiotic relationship between Bacteria and a mesogastropod snail Alviniconcha hessleri, collected from hydrothermal vents of the Mariana back-arc basin

Bull. Jpn. Soc. Microbiol. Ecol.

Deep-ocean hydrothermal vent communities

Nature

The anatomy of the Galapagos Rift limpet, Neomphalus fretterae

Malacologia

Mixotrophic feeding of Olgaconcha tufari Beck (Gastropoda; Prosobranchia) from the active hydrothermal field in the Manus Basin (Bismarck Sea)

Dokl. Akad. Nauk. USSR

Austinograea alayseae sp.nov., crabe hydrothermal decouvert dans le bassin de Lau, Pacifique sud-occidental (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachiura)

Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, 4e Ser. Sect. A

Austinograea williamsi new genus, new species, a hydrothermal vent crab (Decapoda: Bythograeidae) from the Mariana back-arc basin, western Pacific

J. Crust. Biol.

The distribution and community structure of megafauna at the Galapagos Rift hydrothermal vents

Spatial and temporal variation of giant clams, tube worms and mussels at deep sea hydrothermal vents

Biol. Soc. Wash. Bull.

Hydrothermal vent communities of the Mariana back-arc basin

EOS