Dataset Information

Size matters at deep-sea hydrothermal vents: different diversity and habitat fidelity patterns of meio- and macrofauna.

ABSTRACT: Species with markedly different sizes interact when sharing the same habitat. Unravelling mechanisms that control diversity thus requires consideration of a range of size classes. We compared patterns of diversity and community structure for meio- and macrofaunal communities sampled along a gradient of environmental stress at deep-sea hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise (9° 50' N) and neighboring basalt habitats. Both meio- and macrofaunal species richnesses were lowest in the high-stress vent habitat, but macrofaunal richness was highest among intermediate-stress vent habitats. Meiofaunal species richness was negatively correlated with stress, and highest on the basalt. In these deep-sea basalt habitats surrounding hydrothermal vents, meiofaunal species richness was consistently higher than that of macrofauna. Consideration of the physiological capabilities and life history traits of different-sized animals suggests that different patterns of diversity may be caused by different capabilities to deal with environmental stress in the 2 size classes. In contrast to meiofauna, adaptations of macrofauna may have evolved to allow them to maintain their physiological homeostasis in a variety of hydrothermal vent habitats and exploit this food-rich deep-sea environment in high abundances. The habitat fidelity patterns also differed: macrofaunal species occurred primarily at vents and were generally restricted to this habitat, but meiofaunal species were distributed more evenly across proximate and distant basalt habitats and were thus not restricted to vent habitats. Over evolutionary time scales these contrasting patterns are likely driven by distinct reproduction strategies and food demands inherent to fauna of different sizes.

SUBMITTER: Gollner S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4496463 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Size matters at deep-sea hydrothermal vents: different diversity and habitat fidelity patterns of meio- and macrofauna.

Gollner Sabine S Govenar Breea B Fisher Charles R CR Bright Monika M

Marine ecology progress series 20150201

Species with markedly different sizes interact when sharing the same habitat. Unravelling mechanisms that control diversity thus requires consideration of a range of size classes. We compared patterns of diversity and community structure for meio- and macrofaunal communities sampled along a gradient of environmental stress at deep-sea hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise (9° 50' N) and neighboring basalt habitats. Both meio- and macrofaunal species richnesses were lowest in the high-stres ...[more]

PMID: 26166922

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundThe deep sea harbors many viruses, yet their diversity and interactions with hosts in hydrothermal ecosystems are largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the viral composition, distribution, host preference, and metabolic potential in different habitats of global hydrothermal vents, including vent plumes, background seawater, diffuse fluids, and sediments.ResultsFrom 34 samples collected at eight vent sites, a total of 4662 viral populations (vOTUs) were recovered from the metagenome assemblies, encompassing diverse phylogenetic groups and defining many novel lineages. Apart from the abundant unclassified viruses, tailed phages are most predominant across the global hydrothermal vents, while single-stranded DNA viruses, including Microviridae and small eukaryotic viruses, also constitute a significant part of the viromes. As revealed by protein-sharing network analysis, hydrothermal vent viruses formed many novel genus-level viral clusters and are highly endemic to specific vent sites and habitat types. Only 11% of the vOTUs can be linked to hosts, which are the key microbial taxa of hydrothermal habitats, such as Gammaproteobacteria and Campylobacterota. Intriguingly, vent viromes share some common metabolic features in that they encode auxiliary genes that are extensively involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids, cofactors, and vitamins. Specifically, in plume viruses, various auxiliary genes related to methane, nitrogen, and sulfur metabolism were observed, indicating their contribution to host energy conservation. Moreover, the prevalence of sulfur-relay pathway genes indicated the significant role of vent viruses in stabilizing the tRNA structure, which promotes host adaptation to steep environmental gradients.ConclusionsThe deep-sea hydrothermal systems hold untapped viral diversity with novelty. They may affect both vent prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities and modulate host metabolism related to vent adaptability. More explorations are needed to depict global vent virus diversity and its roles in this unique ecosystem. Video Abstract.

Dataset Information

Size matters at deep-sea hydrothermal vents: different diversity and habitat fidelity patterns of meio- and macrofauna.

Publications

Size matters at deep-sea hydrothermal vents: different diversity and habitat fidelity patterns of meio- and macrofauna.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets