Can Marine Hydrothermal Vents Be Used as Natural Laboratories to Study Global Change Effects on Zooplankton in a Future Ocean?

Abstract

It is claimed that oceanic hydrothermal vents (HVs), particularly the shallow water ones, offer particular advantages to better understand the effects of future climate and other global change on oceanic biota. Marine hydrothermal vents (HVs) are extreme oceanic environments that are similar to projected climate changes of the earth system ocean (e.g., changes of circulation patterns, elevated temperature, low pH, increased turbidity, increased bioavailability of toxic compounds. Studies on hydrothermal vent organisms may fill knowledge gaps of environmental and evolutionary adaptations to this extreme oceanic environment. In the present contribution we evaluate whether hydrothermal vents can be used as natural laboratories for a better understanding of zooplankton ecology under a global change scenario.

Ecology of Marine Zooplankton

“…Hydrothermal vents represent perfect natural laboratories to study the ocean biota in future climate scenarios. In their opinion paper, Dahms et al [16] inquire into the appropriateness of these systems for zooplankton studies, reviewing the available literature on the topic. The authors conclude that shallow water vents can offer a unique possibility to understand the possible effects of global change on the resident and allochthonous zooplankton assemblage, and propose leading questions to be addressed in future studies.…”