Life Beneath The Hydrothermal Vents
Hydrothermal vents, scalding ocean floor breakages, teem with life like tube worms and crabs. Researchers discovered hidden ecosystems beneath vents, sustained by bacteria converting chemicals into energy. Tube worms migrate through subsurface fissures to new vents.
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Hydrothermal vents appear to be the most inhabitable habitat on Earth. These are surface breakages on the ocean floor from where hot mineral-laden water spews out. These vents can be scalding with estimated temperatures skimming as high as 400°C (750°F). Nevertheless, these terrifying environments are teeming with life, from enormous clams and voracious crabs to spindly octopuses and phantom eelpout fish.
With the help of off-the-shelf technology such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), researchers recently discovered a hidden ecosystem swarming with miniscule life underneath the vents themselves.
These geyser-like vents are hubs of deep-sea diversity, equipped to sustain themselves in the dark via bacteria that convert chemicals, especially hydrogen sulfide, into energy-producing sugar. A portion of these bacteria reside in the elongated structures of giant tube worms (Riftia pachyptila). These worms, with visible bright-red, feathery gills, form thick colonies around the vents, providing shelter for other vent inhabitants.
A large cluster of tube worms at the Fava Flow Suburbs, a site on the East Pacific Rise that is 2,500 meters deep. Experiments testing the theory of species dispersal through cracks in Earth’s crust were performed in this area. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
These tenacious worm fortresses are completely destroyed when volcanic activity in the vicinity changes due to eruptions or earthquakes. However, when new hydrothermal vents appear dozens or even hundreds of kilometers away, they are quickly colonized by soaring clumps of giant tube worms in a matter of years. Researchers say it's unclear how these worms come and anchor themselves in new vents.
Scientists have discovered few tube worm larvae in the water column near vents, and the constant flow of supercharged fluid ought to make it difficult for the larvae to attach themselves from above. This prompted the researchers to speculate that tube worm larvae were wriggling through fissures beneath the seafloor to seek new vents.
To put this notion to the test, scientists sent the ROV down to the Tica Vent, an extensively studied hydrothermal vent lying 2,500 meters beneath the sea's surface. Initially, the scientists bonded mesh cages over cavities in the seafloor to gather organisms that migrated between the rocky floor and the subsurface. When the boxes proved inconvenient, the crew took a more direct approach, tipping over huge pieces of seafloor with the ROV's robotic arm to gain access to what was beneath.
A rock crust sample, flipped upside down, reveals Oasisia and Riftia tube worms, as well as other organisms. Credit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
The researchers identified numerous tiny tubes beneath the vents, indicating that these below chambers function as tube worm nurseries. The scientists believe that tube worm larvae migrate from vent to vent via a subsurface maze known as the "subseafloor conveyor belt," according to Huber. The tube worms begin their lives below ground before ascending to the vents, where they can grow up to 85 centimeters every year.
Many mysteries remain regarding the world beneath hydrothermal vents, however scientists and researcher intend to sequence the DNA of animals and bacteria collected both above and below the bottom to investigate how these two ecosystems are related.