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Deep-sea hydrothermal vent animals seek cool fluids in a highly variable thermal environment

Deep-sea hydrothermal vent animals seek cool fluids in a highly variable thermal environment
Deep-sea hydrothermal vent animals seek cool fluids in a highly variable thermal environment
The thermal characteristics of an organism's environment affect a multitude of parameters, from biochemical to evolutionary processes. Hydrothermal vents on mid-ocean ridges are created when warm hydrothermal fluids are ejected from the seafloor and mixed with cold bottom seawater; many animals thrive along these steep temperature and chemical gradients. Two-dimensional temperature maps at vent sites have demonstrated order of magnitude thermal changes over centimetre distances and at time intervals from minutes to hours. To investigate whether animals adapt to this extreme level of environmental variability, we examined differences in the thermal behaviour of mobile invertebrates from aquatic habitats that vary in thermal regime. Vent animals were highly responsive to heat and preferred much cooler fluids than their upper thermal limits, whereas invertebrates from other aquatic environments risked exposure to warmer temperatures. Avoidance of temperatures well within their tolerated range may allow vent animals to maintain a safety margin against rapid temperature fluctuations and concomitant toxicity of hydrothermal fluids.
1-6
Bates, Amanda E.
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Lee, Raymond W
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Tunnicliffe, Verena
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Lamare, Miles D
d895293e-21b8-4ff0-a919-3386c96a3bad
Bates, Amanda E.
a96e267d-6d22-4232-b7ed-ce4e448a2a34
Lee, Raymond W
0c86be9c-4c8a-4518-93fc-b4eb36cafd06
Tunnicliffe, Verena
905c2d00-3c61-46e0-91f5-0ab7f7ab0992
Lamare, Miles D
d895293e-21b8-4ff0-a919-3386c96a3bad

Bates, Amanda E., Lee, Raymond W, Tunnicliffe, Verena and Lamare, Miles D (2010) Deep-sea hydrothermal vent animals seek cool fluids in a highly variable thermal environment. Nature Communications, 1 (2), 1-6. (doi:10.1038/ncomms1014).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The thermal characteristics of an organism's environment affect a multitude of parameters, from biochemical to evolutionary processes. Hydrothermal vents on mid-ocean ridges are created when warm hydrothermal fluids are ejected from the seafloor and mixed with cold bottom seawater; many animals thrive along these steep temperature and chemical gradients. Two-dimensional temperature maps at vent sites have demonstrated order of magnitude thermal changes over centimetre distances and at time intervals from minutes to hours. To investigate whether animals adapt to this extreme level of environmental variability, we examined differences in the thermal behaviour of mobile invertebrates from aquatic habitats that vary in thermal regime. Vent animals were highly responsive to heat and preferred much cooler fluids than their upper thermal limits, whereas invertebrates from other aquatic environments risked exposure to warmer temperatures. Avoidance of temperatures well within their tolerated range may allow vent animals to maintain a safety margin against rapid temperature fluctuations and concomitant toxicity of hydrothermal fluids.

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More information

Published date: 4 May 2010
Organisations: Ocean and Earth Science

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Local EPrints ID: 358567
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/358567
PURE UUID: 9f2803d6-c486-4d75-9240-45a94fcb6904

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Date deposited: 08 Oct 2013 14:15
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 15:05

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Contributors

Author: Amanda E. Bates
Author: Raymond W Lee
Author: Verena Tunnicliffe
Author: Miles D Lamare

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