Publications by authors named "Joan M Alfaro-Lucas"
High functional vulnerability across the world's deep-sea hydrothermal vent communities.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
November 2024
Article Synopsis
- Deep-sea hydrothermal vents host unique animals that rely on bacteria sustained by extreme outflows from the seafloor, thriving in high heat, toxic environments, and low oxygen conditions.
- Research suggests that extreme vent environments prompt the evolution of functionally similar species globally, but some areas show unique functional traits due to specific geological conditions.
- The loss of species in these vent systems poses a risk of functional collapse, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to protect these fragile ecosystems from human-induced threats.
The recently discovered deep-sea Capelinhos hydrothermal edifice, ~ 1.5 km of the main Lucky Strike (LS) vent field (northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge), contrasts with the other LS edifices in having poorly-altered end-member hydrothermal fluids with low pH and chlorine, and high metal concentrations. Capelinhos unique chemistry and location offer the opportunity to test the effects of local abiotic filters on faunal community structure while avoiding the often-correlated influence of dispersal limitation and depth.
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- Ocean manipulation techniques, which aim to reduce the impacts of climate change, could disrupt and damage delicate deep-sea ecosystems.
- These ecosystems are vital for biodiversity and play a key role in global carbon cycling, making their protection crucial.
- The potential unintended consequences of such manipulation highlight the need for careful consideration and comprehensive research before implementation.
Whale carcasses create remarkable habitats in the deep-sea by producing concentrated sources of organic matter for a food-deprived biota as well as places of evolutionary novelty and biodiversity. Although many of the faunal patterns on whale falls have already been described, the biogeography of these communities is still poorly known especially from basins other than the NE Pacific Ocean. The present work describes the community composition of the deepest natural whale carcass described to date found at 4204 m depth on Southwest Atlantic Ocean with manned submersible Shinkai 6500.
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