| Chemosynthetic Habitats | |
Lost City carbonate chimney. |
Macrofaunal
Characterization of Peridotite-Hosted Ecosystems Associated with the Lost City Hydrothermal Field Buckman and Shank In 2001, an off-axis peridotite-hosted hydrothermal system supporting up to 60 meter tall carbonate-brucite chimneys was discovered on the Atlantis Massif (30°07.4'N, 42°07.24'W; 700-800m depth). In 2003, a second interdisciplinary expedition returned to this site, the Lost City Hydrothermal Vent Field (LCHF), to understand the linkages among hydrothermal alteration of the mantle, geochemistry, and biological ecosystems within this environment. Read more... |
Rimicaris exoculata- Juveniles (orange/red and adults (gray)).
|
Geographic
and Temporal Genetic Structure Within Rimicaris exoculata Along the Northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge Peohls and Shank Genetic communication between disjunct communities of hydrothermal vent shrimp, Rimicaris exoculata, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) was investigated using sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b). Read more... |
Map of study locations: Rainbow (yellow), Snake Pit (purple), Kairei
(blue). |
Hydrothermal
Vent-Endemic Shrimp Episymbiont Diversity and Distribution on the
Mid-Atlantic and Central Indian Ridges Knee, McKiness, Cavanaugh, and Shank The discovery of a diverse collection of Mid-Atlantic Ridge shrimp epibionts may yield novel insights into the ecology of symbiotic bacterial assemblages and their cospeciation with metazoan hosts found at hydrothermal vents. Read more... |
This picture taken from Alvin shows basalt panels placed around a
chemical sensor (blue T-Bar handle) deployed into a Riftia patch. |
Exploring
integrative approaches to understand the interaction of microbial
biofilms and fluid chemistry on larval settlement at deep-sea hydrothermal
vents Beaulieu, Shank & Sievert The discovery of a diverse collection of Mid-Atlantic Ridge shrimp epibionts may yield novel insights into the ecology of symbiotic bacterial assemblages and their cospeciation with metazoan hosts found at hydrothermal vents. Read more... |
The exclusion experiment on the East Pacific Rise. Photo taken from
a digital time lapse camera system, April 2004. |
Integrated
Studies of Biological Community Structure at Deep-Sea Hydrothermal
Vents Shank & Beaulieu We are assessing, through an integrated program, the factors responsible for biological community structure at hydrothermal vents in the area between 9°49.61’ and 9°50.36’N (known as the Biologic-Geologic Transect) along the crest of the East Pacific Rise (EPR). Read more... |
Location of CTD stations (circles) within the segments (enumerated)
taken during a SMAR cruise (PI Chris German) in October 2001) between
the Chain and Boca Verde FZs. |
Dispersal
Boundaries and Species Composition of Hydrothermal Ecosystems on the
Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge To What Extent do the Equatorial Atlantic Fracture Zones Impact the Dispersion, Biogeography and Evolution of Vent-Endemic Fauna? Shank The tight coupling between geological processes and living organisms at hydrothermal vents provides a singular opportunity to study how fundamental planetary processes shape the evolution of life. These tightly linked geological-biological systems have yielded a global network of extraordinarily productive chemosynthetic communities. Read more... |
Calyfied Vent Site, showing the abundant vesicomyid clams and patches
of grey sponge. |
New
Species of Hydrothermal Vent Sponge from the Galapagos Rift Waller, Buckman, Shank and Pomponi Deep-sea hydrothermal vents were first discovered on the Galapagos Rift at 86°W in 1977. A NOAA Ocean Exploration Program expedition in May-June 2002, utilizing the RV Atlantis and DSV Alvin, was the first expedition to the area since 1990. A large clam field, named Calyfield, was discovered along the rift during this cruise. It is the most westerly of the known active vent sites on the Galapagos Rift. Read more... |