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Atypical biological features of a new cold seep site on the Lofoten-Vesteralen continental margin (northern Norway).

ABSTRACT: A newly discovered cold seep from the Lofoten-Vesterålen margin (Norwegian Sea) is dominated by the chemosymbiotrophic siboglinid Oligobrachia haakonmosbiensis like other high latitude seeps, but additionally displays uncharacteristic features. Sulphidic bottom water likely prevents colonization by cnidarians and sponges, resulting in fewer taxa than deeper seeps in the region, representing a deviation from depth-related trends seen among seeps elsewhere. O. haakonmosbiensis was present among carbonate and barite crusts, constituting the first record of frenulates among hard substrates. The presence of both adults and egg cases indicate that Ambylraja hyperborea skates use the site as an egg case nursery ground. Due to sub-zero ambient temperatures (-0.7 °C), we hypothesize that small, seepage related heat anomalies aid egg incubation and prevent embryo mortality. We place our results within the context of high-latitude seeps and suggest they exert evolutionary pressure on benthic species, thereby selecting for elevated exploitation and occupancy of high-productivity habitats.

SUBMITTER: Sen A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6370913 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Atypical biological features of a new cold seep site on the Lofoten-Vesterålen continental margin (northern Norway).

Sen Arunima A Himmler Tobias T Hong Wei Li WL Chitkara Cheshtaa C Lee Raymond W RW Ferré Benedicte B Lepland Aivo A Knies Jochen J

Scientific reports 20190211 1

A newly discovered cold seep from the Lofoten-Vesterålen margin (Norwegian Sea) is dominated by the chemosymbiotrophic siboglinid Oligobrachia haakonmosbiensis like other high latitude seeps, but additionally displays uncharacteristic features. Sulphidic bottom water likely prevents colonization by cnidarians and sponges, resulting in fewer taxa than deeper seeps in the region, representing a deviation from depth-related trends seen among seeps elsewhere. O. haakonmosbiensis was present among ca ...[more]

PMID: 30741962

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Project description:Marine cold seeps are natural sites of methane emission and harbor distinct microbial communities capable of oxidizing methane. The majority of known cold seeps are on tectonically active continental margins, but recent discoveries have revealed abundant seeps on passive margins as well, including on the U.S. Atlantic Margin (USAM). We sampled in and around four USAM seeps and combined pore water geochemistry measurements with amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA and mcrA (DNA and RNA) to investigate the microbial communities present, their assembly processes, and how they compare to communities at previously studied sites. We found that the USAM seeps contained communities consistent with the canonical seep microbiome at the class and order levels but differed markedly at the sequence variant level, especially within the anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) archaea. The ANME populations were highly uneven, with just a few dominant mcrA sequence variants at each seep. Interestingly, the USAM seeps did not form a distinct phylogenetic cluster when compared with other previously described seeps around the world. Consistent with this, we found only a very weak (though statistically significant) distance-decay trend in seep community similarity across a global data set. Ecological assembly indices suggest that the USAM seep communities were assembled primarily deterministically, in contrast to the surrounding nonseep sediments, where stochastic processes dominated. Together, our results suggest that the primary driver of seep microbial community composition is local geochemistry-specifically methane, sulfide, nitrate, acetate, and ammonium concentrations-rather than the geologic context, the composition of nearby seeps, or random events of dispersal. IMPORTANCE Cold seeps are now known to be widespread features of passive continental margins, including the northern U.S. Atlantic Margin (USAM). Methane seepage is expected to intensify at these relatively shallow seeps as bottom waters warm and underlying methane hydrates dissociate. While methanotrophic microbial communities might reduce or prevent methane release, microbial communities on passive margins have rarely been characterized. In this study, we investigated the Bacteria and Archaea at four cold seeps on the northern USAM and found that despite being colocated on the same continental slope, the communities significantly differ by site at the sequence variant level, particularly methane-cycling community members. Differentiation by site was not observed in similarly spaced background sediments, raising interesting questions about the dispersal pathways of cold seep microorganisms. Understanding the genetic makeup of these discrete seafloor ecosystems and how their microbial communities develop will be increasingly important as the climate changes.

Dataset Information

Atypical biological features of a new cold seep site on the Lofoten-Vesteralen continental margin (northern Norway).

Publications

Atypical biological features of a new cold seep site on the Lofoten-Vesterålen continental margin (northern Norway).

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