Article
Biology
Maeva Perez, Corinna Breusing, Bernard Angers, Roxanne A. Beinart, Yong-Jin Won, C. Robert Young
Summary: Vertical transmission of bacterial endosymbionts leads to gene loss and reduction in genome size. This study investigates the contributions of drift, recombination, and selection to genome evolution in two species of vesicomyid symbionts. The results suggest that drift is a significant force, while selection and interspecific recombination play critical roles in maintaining functional integrity and creating divergent patterns of gene conservation in the symbionts.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Yi-Tao Lin, Ting Xu, Jack Chi-Ho, Yanan Sun, Ling Fang, Tiangang Luan, Yu Zhang, Pei-Yuan Qian, Jian-Wen Qiu
Summary: Endosymbiosis with Gammaproteobacteria is crucial for the success of deep-sea chemosynthesis-based ecosystems. However, the discovery of Campylobacteria on gill surfaces suggests a more complex host-bacterial relationship than previously thought. This study used a cold-seep mussel as a model to explore this system, revealing that the epibiont uses sulfur oxidizing enzymes from Gammaproteobacteria for energy production and switches carbon assimilation cycles. The host supplies metabolic intermediates and nutrients to satisfy the epibiont's energy requirements, while the endosymbiont provides energy for itself and the host. Host pattern recognition receptors may participate in bacterial infection and population regulation. This research provides insights into the complex host-bacterial relationships that enable mussels and bacteria to thrive in deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems.
ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Reyhaneh Roohi, Ragna Hoogenboom, Ronald Van Bommel, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, Furu Mienis, Sabine Gollner
Summary: This study investigates the export and influence of carbon produced by hydrothermal vents on benthic food webs. It reveals that fauna near the venting area primarily rely on chemosynthetic organic carbon, while fauna further away from the vents rely more on photosynthetic organic carbon. Nematodes are the most abundant faunal taxon. These findings have important implications for future spatial management plans in deep-sea mining at hydrothermal vents.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chenglong Xu, Yali Feng, Haoran Li, Shiwei Jiang, Ruiyu Ma, Yisong Yao, Mengyao Liu, Yi Yang, Zhonghua Xue
Summary: Non-photosynthetic chemoautotrophic microorganisms in deep-sea hydrothermal vents can utilize reducing substances and convert CO2 into organic carbon. The development and utilization of microbial resources in this environment for CO2 fixation is important for understanding the carbon cycle and microbial carbon fixation in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. A set of spiral-stirred bioreactors (SSBs) were used to cultivate a group of halophilic, acid-base, and heavy metal resistant CO2 assimilation microorganisms from deep-sea hydrothermal vent sediments. The maximum carbon fixation efficiency was 6.209 mg CO2/(L h) under specific incubation conditions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Eva Paulus
Summary: The deep sea is one of the most biodiverse habitats on Earth, but is facing threats from human activities. Despite many mysteries remaining, there are challenges such as overfishing and environmental degradation that must be addressed to protect biodiversity in the deep sea.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Elizabeth A. Suter, Maria G. Pachiadaki, Enrique Montes, Virginia P. Edgcomb, Mary Scranton, Craig D. Taylor, Gordon T. Taylor
Summary: Genetic markers and geochemical assays were used to study microbial nitrogen cycling processes in the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela. The study found that denitrifier activity is closely related to nitrate availability, and identified a diverse array of denitrifiers, including chemoautotrophs capable of using nitrate to oxidize reduced sulfur species. The results suggest that autotrophic carbon cycling also plays a significant role in the nitrogen cycle of the Cariaco Basin, in addition to organic matter oxidation and anammox processes.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Laura Kaikkonen, Elina A. Virtanen
Summary: Coastal mineral resources are promoted as a sustainable option to meet increasing metal demands, but shallow-water mining contradicts international conservation and sustainability goals, and its regulative legislation is still being developed, with no justifications in favour of shallow-water mining in the absence of thorough comparisons of different mining practices.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. Shigemitsu, T. Yokokawa, H. Uchida, S. Kawagucci, A. Murata
Summary: The microbial community structure in the hadal waters is different from that in the upper abyssal waters, possibly due to the transfer of substances like FDOMH from sediments and the in-situ production of substances. Different mechanisms governing these substances can lead to distinct microbial community structures in deep-sea environments.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Chong Chen, Yadong Zhou, Hiromi Kayama Watanabe, Ruiyan Zhang, Chunsheng Wang
Summary: Neolepetopsidae is a small and understudied family of true limpets restricted to deep-sea chemosynthesis-based ecosystems, with newly discovered species from Indian Ocean vents. The molecular phylogeny confirms genetic distinctiveness among the three genera, while the discovery of new species sheds new light on this enigmatic family and underscores the importance of surveying the vent periphery.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Baoxiang Huang, Ge Chen, Hongfeng Zhang, Guojia Hou, Milena Radenkovic
Summary: Deep sea debris refers to any man-made material that is persistently present in the deep sea. The increasing scale and amount of debris pose a threat to the health of the ocean. To address this, marine communities are striving for a clean, healthy, resilient, safe, and sustainably harvested ocean, including the removal of deep sea debris using maneuverable underwater machines. Previous studies have shown that deep learning methods can successfully extract features from seabed images or videos and identify debris for collection. This paper proposes a lightweight neural network called DSDebrisNet, which achieves instant and accurate detection by leveraging detection speed and identification performance. The study also introduces a hybrid loss function considering illumination and detection challenges, and constructs the DSDebris dataset for experimentation. The results demonstrate promising real-time detection accuracy and provide evidence for the successful application of artificial intelligence in deep sea research.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrea Baucon, Annalisa Ferretti, Chiara Fioroni, Luca Pandolfi, Enrico Serpagli, Armando Piccinini, Carlos Neto de Carvalho, Mario Cachao, Thomas Linley, Fernando Muniz, Zain Belaustegui, Alan Jamieson, Girolamo Lo Russo, Filippo Guerrini, Sara Ferrando, Imants Priede
Summary: This study reveals that fish have been inhabiting the deep seafloor since the Early Cretaceous, using various techniques to feed on prey. These findings shed light on the evolutionary history of deep-seafloor fishes and the availability of new food sources in the deep sea.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Munhyung Bae, Emily Mevers, Gleb Pishchany, Sarah G. Whaley, Charles O. Rock, David R. Andes, Cameron R. Currie, Monica T. Pupo, Jon Clardy
Summary: This report presents the molecular exchange between multilateral symbiosis partners, resulting in the characterization of two new metabolites, which disrupt fatty acid biosynthesis by selectively inhibiting FabH.
Article
Ecology
Muhammed Fatih Sert, Helge Niemann, Eoghan P. Reeves, Mats A. Granskog, Kevin P. Hand, Timo Kekalainen, Janne Janis, Pamela E. Rossel, Benedicte Ferre, Anna Silyakova, Friederike Grundger
Summary: Hydrothermal vents can modify and transport dissolved organic matter (DOM) into the ocean, potentially contributing significantly to the oceanic DOM pool. This study investigates the dynamics of DOM in relation to hydrothermal venting in the unexplored Aurora hydrothermal vent field in the Arctic Ocean. The results show that hydrothermal processes can influence the distribution of DOM in the deep ocean, while surface and mesopelagic layers are mainly governed by microbial carbon pump dynamics and surface-ocean-sea-ice interactions.
Article
Fisheries
Charley Gros, Jan Jansen, Candice Untiedt, Tabitha R. R. Pearman, Rachel Downey, David K. A. Barnes, David A. Bowden, Dirk C. Welsford, Nicole A. Hill
Summary: A multi-criteria approach to vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME) identification is proposed, considering the vulnerabilities of different indicator taxa to fishing disturbance. Using annotated imagery data, an index of cumulative abundance and overall richness was computed to quantify assemblage-level vulnerability and characterize different assemblages. This method aims to enhance VME identification and provide context to bycatch events.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Melina Kerou, Rafael I. Ponce-Toledo, Rui Zhao, Sophie S. Abby, Miho Hirai, Hidetaka Nomaki, Yoshihiro Takaki, Takuro Nunoura, Steffen L. Jorgensen, Christa Schleper
Summary: The study presents 11 metagenome-assembled genomes of the most abundant AOA clades from sediment cores obtained from the Atlantic Mid-Ocean ridge flanks and Pacific abyssal plains, revealing their adapted features such as ammonia oxidation, carbon fixation, and conversion of fermentation products. The phylogenomic placement of these AOA suggests that they have independently evolved adaptations to the high-pressure environment of marine sediments, with distinctive features like ATPase and DNA repair systems.
