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Structure of Hydrothermal Vent Communities

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Trace Metal Biogeochemistry and Ecology of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Systems

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 50))

Abstract

Deep-sea hydrothermal vent communities are characterized by complicated taxonomic, trophic, and spatial structure. Different animals consume chemosynthetic bacterial production to a variable extent and by different ways. Different animal groups demonstrate variable degree of adaptations to the extreme environment of hydrothermal vent systems. According to their ecological requirements, vent animal populations occupy different zones within the vent field. The boundaries of different vent fauna assemblages could be rather sharp or feebly marked appearing to be defined by gradients of water chemistry as well as the hydrodynamic regime within the vent field. To ensure the correct analyses of bioconcentration function (BCF) of vent organisms, such factors as taxonomic position, trophic specialization, patterns of physiology, ontogenetic stages, and spatial disposition of animal population within the vent field should be taken into consideration.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the captain of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh and his crew, the pilots, and crew of the submersibles MIR for their essential collaboration during the cruises. Many thanks to scientist who helped us with sorting sample collection and taxonomic identifications. We also acknowledge Drs. L.Moskalev, A. Mironov, A. Gebruk, and M. Turkay for productive discussions. This work was partially funded by the Russian Science Foundation (Grant No. 14-50-00095) (analyses and generalization of the material).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology Russian Academy of Sciences (IORAN), Nakhimovsky pr., 36, 117997, Moscow, Russia

    S. V. Galkin

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  1. S. V. Galkin
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Correspondence to S. V. Galkin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanolo, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Liudmila L. Demina

  2. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanolo, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Sergey V. Galkin

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Galkin, S.V. (2016). Structure of Hydrothermal Vent Communities. In: Demina, L., Galkin, S. (eds) Trace Metal Biogeochemistry and Ecology of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Systems. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 50. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2015_5018

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