Hydrothermal vent fields and chemosynthetic biota on the world's deepest seafloor spreading centre

Connelly, Douglas P.; Copley, Jonathan T.; Murton, Bramley J.; Stansfield, K.; Tyler, Paul A.; German, Christopher R.; Dover, C. L. Van; Amon, Diva J.; Furlong, Maaten; Grindlay, N. R.; Hayman, Nicholas W.; Hühnerbach, Veit; Judge, Maria; Bas, Tim Le; McPhail, S.D.; Meier, Alexandra; Nakamura, Kōichi; Nye, Verity; Pebody, Miles; Pedersen, Rolf B.; Plouviez, Sophie; Sands, Carla; Searle, R. C.; Stevenson, Peter; Taws, Sarah; Wilcox, Sally

doi:10.1038/ncomms1636

Cited by 167 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Located at 2,350-m depth on the Mid-Cayman Rise (13,14), hydrothermal fluids emanate from the Von Damm vent field at temperatures as high as 226°C (Fig. S1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The four Von Damm CH 4 samples measured, including the East Summit fluid, all reveal 14 C contents near the detectable limit [fraction modern (F m ) = 0.0025] (Table S1). In contrast, corresponding ΣCO 2 samples contain detectable modern 14 C contents (F m = 0.0236-0.0373) that would be transferred to CH 4 if it were generated by ΣCO 2 reduction occurring during fluid circulation (Table S1). Thus, the model postulated for the formation of abundant CH 4 at the Lost City vent field involving the leaching of radiocarbon-dead ΣCO 2 from fluid inclusions hosted in plutonic rocks and its subsequent reduction to CH 4 during hydrothermal fluid circulation (8) cannot account for the occurrence of CH 4 at Von Damm.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Pathways for abiotic organic synthesis at submarine hydrothermal fields

McDermott

Seewald

German

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Arguments for an abiotic origin of low-molecular weight organic compounds in deep-sea hot springs are compelling owing to implications for the sustenance of deep biosphere microbial communities and their potential role in the origin of life. Theory predicts that warm H 2 -rich fluids, like those emanating from serpentinizing hydrothermal systems, create a favorable thermodynamic drive for the abiotic generation of organic compounds from inorganic precursors. Here, we constrain two distinct reaction pathways for abiotic organic synthesis in the natural environment at the Von Damm hydrothermal field and delineate spatially where inorganic carbon is converted into bioavailable reduced carbon. We reveal that carbon transformation reactions in a single system can progress over hours, days, and up to thousands of years. Previous studies have suggested that CH 4 and higher hydrocarbons in ultramafic hydrothermal systems were dependent on H 2 generation during active serpentinization. Rather, our results indicate that CH 4 found in vent fluids is formed in H 2 -rich fluid inclusions, and higher n-alkanes may likely be derived from the same source. This finding implies that, in contrast with current paradigms, these compounds may form independently of actively circulating serpentinizing fluids in ultramafic-influenced systems. Conversely, widespread production of formate by ΣCO 2 reduction at Von Damm occurs rapidly during shallow subsurface mixing of the same fluids, which may support anaerobic methanogenesis. Our finding of abiogenic formate in deep-sea hot springs has significant implications for microbial life strategies in the present-day deep biosphere as well as early life on Earth and beyond.abiotic organic synthesis | hydrothermal systems | methane | formate | fluid-vapor inclusions S eawater-derived hydrothermal fluids venting at oceanic spreading centers are a net source for dissolved carbon to the deep sea, with vent fluid carbon contents directly tied to the sustenance of the subseafloor biosphere (1). Highly reducing fluids rich in dissolved H 2 , such as those discharging from serpentinizing hydrothermal systems, are of particular interest because of the potential for abiotic reduction of dissolved inorganic carbon ðΣCO 2 = CO 2 + HCO − 3 + CO 2− 3 Þ to organic compounds (2-6) and their potential role as precursor compounds for prebiotic chemistry associated with the origin of life (7). Although there is increasing evidence that supports an abiotic origin for CH 4 and other low-molecular weight organic compounds in ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems (8-10), the physical conditions, reaction pathways, and timescales that control abiotic organic synthesis at oceanic spreading centers remain elusive. Working models for the formation of abiotic CH 4 and other hydrocarbons observed in vent fluids involve reduction of ΣCO 2 and/or CO through Fischer-Tropsch-type processes during active circulation of seawater-derived hydrothermal fluids that are highly enriched in dissolved H 2 because of serpentinization of...

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“…Located at 2,350-m depth on the Mid-Cayman Rise (13,14), hydrothermal fluids emanate from the Von Damm vent field at temperatures as high as 226°C (Fig. S1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways for abiotic organic synthesis at submarine hydrothermal fields

McDermott

Seewald

German

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

286

303

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“…In particular, the research findings of expeditions to the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse [TAG], Manus Basin and Juan de Fuca Ridge have provided important insights into the nature of fluid rock interaction and fluid mixing in the development of seafloor hydrothermal systems in different tectonic settings (Barriga et al, 2000;Fouquet et al, 1997;Humphris et al, 1995Lackschewitz et al, 2004;Mottl et al, 1994;Paulick and Bach, 2006;Roberts et al, 2003;Teagle et al, 1998;Webber et al, 2011). This work has been complemented by countless other scientific and industry-funded cruises to hydrothermal fields worldwide (Connelly et al, 2012;de Ronde et al, 2005;Glasby et al, 2008;Hannington et al, 2005 and references therein; Ishibashi et al, 2015;McConachy et al, 2005;Petersen et al, 2014;Yeats et al, 2014;Webber et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Actively forming Kuroko-type volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) mineralization at Iheya North, Okinawa Trough, Japan

Yeats

Hollis

Halfpenny

et al. 2017

Ore Geology Reviews

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“…The reactor can be easily and safely pressurized to 1,000 atm and heated up to 180°C. The deepest known black smoker system is found at 5000 m in the Cayman Trough in the Caribbean, a depth at which the pressure is ∼500 atm (21). Thus, the reactor can achieve pressures commensurate with those found in extant vent systems.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 80%

Reactivity landscape of pyruvate under simulated hydrothermal vent conditions

Novikov¹,

Copley

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Pyruvate is an important "hub" metabolite that is a precursor for amino acids, sugars, cofactors, and lipids in extant metabolic networks. Pyruvate has been produced under simulated hydrothermal vent conditions from alkyl thiols and carbon monoxide in the presence of transition metal sulfides at 250°C [Cody GD et al. (2000) Science 289(5483):1337-1340], so it is plausible that pyruvate was formed in hydrothermal systems on the early earth. We report here that pyruvate reacts readily in the presence of transition metal sulfide minerals under simulated hydrothermal vent fluids at more moderate temperatures (25-110°C) that are more conducive to survival of biogenic molecules. We found that pyruvate partitions among five reaction pathways at rates that depend upon the nature of the mineral present; the concentrations of H 2 S, H 2 , and NH 4 Cl; and the temperature. In most cases, high yields of one or two primary products are found due to preferential acceleration of certain pathways. Reactions observed include reduction of ketones to alcohols and aldol condensation, both reactions that are common in extant metabolic networks. We also observed reductive amination to form alanine and reduction to form propionic acid. Amino acids and fatty acids formed by analogous processes may have been important components of a protometabolic network that allowed the emergence of life.catalysis | prebiotic chemistry | abiogenesis B aross and Hoffman suggested in 1985 that life emerged in or around hydrothermal vents from a protometabolic network fueled by small molecules such as CO 2 , NH 3 , and H 2 in hydrothermal fluids (1). The existence of dense biological communities sustained solely by the chemicals and energy provided by vent fluids proves that these habitats are capable of supporting life. The possibility that life originated at such sites is appealing for a number of reasons. Pores in vent walls and the surrounding fractured crust could have provided compartmentalization before the availability of lipid membranes. The mineral surfaces lining these compartments could have catalyzed the formation of organic compounds from the constituents of vent fluids. Temperature gradients in hydrothermal systems could have allowed reactions with high activation energies to occur in the internal hot regions as well as formation of more fragile molecules near the cool outer wall. In addition, both theoretical and experimental studies have demonstrated that thermal gradients can lead to massive concentration of molecules in small regions of microchannels due to a combination of convection and thermophoresis (2, 3). This physical mechanism would enhance the rates of second-order reactions between molecules originating from chemical reactions in hydrothermal fluids as they percolate through pores and channels in vent structures and in cracks in the surrounding crust.An important challenge for prebiotic chemists is to explore the potential for synthesis of complex organic molecules from geochemical precursors in hydrothermal environments. In...

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Hydrothermal vent fields and chemosynthetic biota on the world's deepest seafloor spreading centre

Cited by 167 publications

References 59 publications

Pathways for abiotic organic synthesis at submarine hydrothermal fields

Pathways for abiotic organic synthesis at submarine hydrothermal fields

Actively forming Kuroko-type volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) mineralization at Iheya North, Okinawa Trough, Japan

Reactivity landscape of pyruvate under simulated hydrothermal vent conditions

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