Reproductive biology and population structure of the hippolytid shrimp Lebbeus virentova at the Von Damm Vent Filed, Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre

Nye, Verity, Copley, Jon and Tyler, Paul A. (2013) Reproductive biology and population structure of the hippolytid shrimp Lebbeus virentova at the Von Damm Vent Filed, Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre. 5th International Symposium on Chemosynthesis-Based Ecosystems, Victoria, Canada. 17 - 22 Aug 2013.

Abstract

Research efforts on the reproductive ecology of caridean shrimps from deep-sea chemosynthetic environments have focused to date on members of the family Alvinocarididae Christoffersen, 1986 (e.g. Copley et al., 2006; Nye et al., 2013). Alvinocaridids appear to be endemic to vents and/or seeps and they form a dominant component of the biomass at several vent fields in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. By contrast, the presence of other caridean families at vents and seeps is considered to be opportunistic (e.g. Martin & Haney, 2005; Desbruyères et al., 2006). Twelve members of the caridean family Hippolytidae Spence Bate, 1888 have been described to date from deep-sea chemosynthetic environments. The hippolytid shrimp Lebbeus virentova constitutes an important component of the faunal assemblage at the Von Damm Vent Field (~2300 m), Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre (Connelly et al., 2012; Nye et al., 2012). Here we present novel data from recent explorations of hydrothermal vent fields at the MCSC, which contributes to our analyses of reproductive processes of macrofaunal invertebrates from MCSC vents, and the role of life-history on the distribution patterns of vent taxa. Our aim was to determine the population structure and reproductive biology of L. virentova at the Von Damm Vent Field. Our results are presented in the context of available data for hippolytid and alvinocaridid species.

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Contributors

Author: Jon Copley

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