Symbiosis in the Deep Lecture Pt 3x - 2021 PDF

Symbiosis in the Deep – Tubeworms and Bacteria Prof Simon Andrews [email protected] Part 3 (final part): Unusual HTV organisms and wider significance BI2MBC MARINE BIOLOGY & CONSERVATION Global Distribution of Hydrothermal Vent Fields Estimated that 82% of...

Symbiosis in the Deep – Tubeworms and Bacteria Prof Simon Andrews [email protected] Part 3 (final part): Unusual HTV organisms and wider significance BI2MBC MARINE BIOLOGY & CONSERVATION Global Distribution of Hydrothermal Vent Fields Estimated that 82% of vent species are endemic, most previously unknown 100’s of new vent species identified More than 1000 vent sites globally –more to be discovered Contribute to mineral replenishment of the oceans Some examples of new HTV species The ’Pompeii worm’ Alvinella pompejana was found in the 1980s around a black smoker Capable of withstanding temperatures up to 80 °C!!  The Iron Snail A scaly-foot gastropod: Chrysomallon squamiferum found in 2001 at the Kairei hydrothermal vent field in the Indian Ocean. It uses iron sulphides (pyrite and greigite) for the structure of its dermal sclerites (hardened body parts), in outerlayer - place of calcium carbonate. The extreme pressure of 2500 m of water is thought to help stabilize the iron sulfide structures. Thought to act as armour plating to Some examples of defend against predatory snails. new HTV species  GBS1- a deep sea vent phototroph An obligately phototrophic green- caratenoids sulphur bacterium was been found Bacteriochlorophyll c living near a black smoker off the coast of Mexico at a depth of 2,500 m. No sunlight penetrates that far into the waters. Instead, the bacteria, part of the Chlorobiaceae family, use the faint glow from the black smoker for photosynthesis. This is the first organism discovered in Absorption (solid line) and nature to exclusively use a light other fluorescence (dotted line)of GSB1 cells. (Beatty et al. than sunlight for photosynthesis: 2005) GSB1 bacteria (Beatty et al. 2005) http://www.pnas.org/content/102/26/93 https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Chemotrophy_Along_Seafloor_Hydrothermal_Vents  Early Life on Earth? Jupiter’s smallest moon – Europa; may harbour life How did life evolve on Earth? Did conditions on early-Earth, resembling those of hydrothermal vents, provide the required energy sources? Water and geothermal activity on other planets – suitable conditions for life? Extra-terrestrial Hydrothermal vents Summary HYDROTHERMAL VENT LUSH ANIMAL SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN FIRST MAJOR COULD BE REFLECTIVE COMMUNITIES RELY OF COMMUNITIES FOUND, ANIMALS (E.G. GIANT ECOSYSTEMS FOUND OF EARLY LIFE AND/OR CHEMOSYNTHETIC 100’S OF NOVEL TUBE WORMS) AND S- THAT ARE INDEPENDENT EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL BACTERIA FOR ENERGY SPECIES, MOSTLY OXIDISING BACTERIA – OF SUNLIGHT ECOSYSTEMS PRODUCTION AND UNIQUE TO HTV KEY TO THE ECOSYSTEM CARBON FIXATION i.e. summary of what you should now know https://ocean.si.edu/ocean- https://www.nationalgeograp life/invertebrates/hydrothe hic.org/media/deep-sea-hydr rmal-vent-creatures othermal-vents/ Hydrothermal vent communities – VIDEOS Cntl+click on above links to view!!  Marine Biology, An Ecological Approach. James W Nybakken (Benjamin Cummings) (several editions in Main Library). C-4, Hydrothermal Vent Communities Sources Microbiology text books e.g. Brock ‘Biology of Microorganisms’ 11th Ed. Section 19.8 and Hydrothermal Vents https://www.whoi.edu/feature/ further history-hydrothermal-vents /discovery/1977.html reading https://www.whoi.edu/main/topic/ hydrothermal-vents https://www.thoughtco.com/early- life-theory-of-hydrothermal-vents- 1224529 Europa: Our best shot at finding alien life? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scien ce-environment-38925601 The End Thank you for listening Questions to: [email protected] (questions and answers will be shared on BB)