Diversity, habitat endemicity and trophic ecology of the fauna of Loki's Castle vent field on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge.

Autor: Eilertsen MH; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. mari.eilertsen@uib.no.; Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. mari.eilertsen@uib.no., Kongsrud JA; Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Tandberg AHS; Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Alvestad T; Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Budaeva N; Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Martell L; Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Ramalho SP; Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal., Falkenhaug T; Institute of Marine Research, Flødevigen Research Station, His, Norway., Huys R; Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK., Oug E; Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Region South, Grimstad, Norway., Bakken T; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU University Museum, Trondheim, Norway., Høisæter T; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.; Loddefjord, Norway., Rauch C; Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Carvalho FC; Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Savchenko AS; Invertebrate Zoology Department, Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia., Ulvatn T; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.; Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Kongshavn K; Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Berntsen CM; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.; Lørenskog, Norway., Olsen BR; Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway., Pedersen RB; Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.; Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2024 Jan 02; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 103. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jan 02.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46434-z
Abstrakt: Loki's Castle Vent Field (LCVF, 2300 m) was discovered in 2008 and represents the first black-smoker vent field discovered on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge (AMOR). However, a comprehensive faunal inventory of the LCVF has not yet been published, hindering the inclusion of the Arctic in biogeographic analyses of vent fauna. There is an urgent need to understand the diversity, spatial distribution and ecosystem function of the biological communities along the AMOR, which will inform environmental impact assesments of future deep-sea mining activities in the region. Therefore, our aim with this paper is to provide a comprehensive inventory of the fauna at LCVF and present a first insight into the food web of the vent community. The fauna of LCVF has a high degree of novelty, with five new species previously described and another ten new species awaiting formal description. Most of the new species from LCVF are either hydrothermal vent specialists or have been reported from other chemosynthesis-based ecosystems. The highest taxon richness is found in the diffuse venting areas and may be promoted by the biogenic habitat generated by the foundation species Sclerolinum contortum. The isotopic signatures of the vent community of LCVF show a clear influence of chemosynthetic primary production on the foodweb. Considering the novel and specialised fauna documented in this paper, hydrothermal vents on the AMOR should be regarded as vulnerable marine ecosystems and protective measures must therefore be implemented, especially considering the potential threat from resource exploration and exploitation activities in the near future.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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