Deep-sea and shallow-water hydrothermal vent communities: Two different phenomena?

Oxfordian neptunian dykes with brachiopods from the southern part of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland (southern Poland) and their links to hydrothermal vents

“…Hence, this environment can be linked to shallow-water hydrothermal vents (Dando 2010). Contrary to their deep-sea counterparts, such vents are characterized by the lack of vent-specific taxa (Tarasov et al 2005) or by the presence of only one or two non-vent-obligate genera or higher taxa (Dando 2010). In the vicinity of shallow-water hydrothermal vents, not only is seawater temperature locally higher, but venting fluids may also reduce salinity due to the input of ascending meteoric water (Stüben and Glasby 1999;Dando et al 2000), which implies the development of specific biocenoses.…”

“…The zones of shallow-water hydrothermal seepage are well known for particularly intensive growth of bacteria and microbial mats (cf. Stanier and Cohen-Bazire 1977;Tunncliffe 1988Tunncliffe , 1991Tunncliffe , 1992aTaviani 1994;Mounji et al 1998;Dando et al 2000;Tarasov et al 2005;Reolid and Abad 2014), which may have provided nourishment for brachiopods feeding on phytoplankton, bacteria, colloidal and dissolved nutrients (Steele-Petrovič 1976, 1979. According to Little et al (2004), some Mesozoic brachiopod taxa may have had chemosymbionts as well (cf.…”

Assessment of goods and services, vulnerability, and conservation status of European seabed biotopes: a stepping stone towards ecosystem-based marine spatial management

“…Moreover, they often indicate the occurrence of a fault or a potential geo-hazard (Etiope, 2009). Contrary to their deep-sea counterparts, vent-obligate taxa seem to be absent or rare in shallow hydrothermal vents (Tarasov et al, 2005). So far, the effects of shallow venting on coastal ecosystem processes have not been sufficiently understood and evaluated (Prol-Ledesma et al, 2005) and there is even contrasting evidence as to their potential role in determining the associated biodiversity (Bianchi et al, 2011 and references therein).…”

“…Other small or large animals (tubeworms, bivalves, limpets, barnacles, shrimp, crabs, gastropods) live off the chemosynthetic bacteria either eating them directly or harbouring them in their bodies (endosymbiotic or episymbiotic relationships) living off the organic compounds the bacteria produce (Lutz & Kennish, 1993). It takes a high level of specialisation to live in such extreme biotopes and thus many of the species recorded in hydrothermal vents are exclusive to this biotope (Van Dover, 2000;Tarasov et al, 2005). Hundreds of species have been discovered at the hydrothermal vents and the fauna varies widely between regions due to discontinuities of the ridges and hydrological barriers (Bachraty et al, 2009).…”

“…So far, the effects of shallow venting on coastal ecosystem processes have not been sufficiently understood and evaluated (Prol-Ledesma et al, 2005) and there is even contrasting evidence as to their potential role in determining the associated biodiversity (Bianchi et al, 2011 and references therein). Shallow-water hydrothermal vents, and especially those predominated by CO 2 emissions, have lately drawn much scientific attention as natural labs for testing the effects of ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures on shallow marine ecosystems (Tarasov et al, 2005;Hall-Spencer et al, 2008;Martin et al, 2008). Apart from providing insight into upcoming climatic changes, vent-sites are important biological sources of thermophile and hyperthermophile prokaryotes that show a great potential for biotechnological applications (Dando et al, 1999).…”