Dynamic character of the hydrothermal vent habitat and the nature of sulphide chimney fauna

A major substratum for vent organisms on Juan de Fuca and Explorer Ridges of the northeast Pacific is the polymetallic sulphide chimney. The deposition processes and subsequent growth of such chimneys provide a dynamic and extreme habitat that changes rapidly. During initial venting stages, colonization must await stabilization of the chimney structure. As the porous anhydrite shell accumulates sulphide minerals, protection from direct hot water contact increases for organisms colonizing the outer walls while sufficient vent water still diffuses for the support of chemosynthesis. Vestimentiferan worms are found on small sulphide mounds but the active growth and collapse of anhydrite spires is a major source of disruption and mortality. High temperature venting and spire growth appear to attract alvinellid polychaetes which may be implicated in the process of strengthening and sealing the anhydrite spires. Fauna on the growing chimney is subject to changes in fluid flow patterns that can make the structure uninhabitable. Large chimneys are inhabited by more species indicating that a diversification of habitat results from variations in mineralization and fluid availability. Chimney fauna has become specialized in exploiting an unpredictable and unstable habitat in an extreme example of the control of biotic development by the physical environment.     

Bacterial and viral abundances in hydrothermal event plumes over northern Gorda Ridge

This study presents first-time observations of bacterial and viral abundances in hydrothermal event plumes. Two water-column event plumes were formed in conjunction with seismic events and seafloor volcanic eruptions on the northern Gorda Ridge in February–March 1996. Epifluorescence counts of bacteria and viruses were performed on water samples from 3 successive cruises staged in the 10–90 days that followed the onset of seismicity. Relative to background seawater at these 1800–3200 m depths, bacterial abundance was enhanced by 2–3 fold within both event plumes. In contrast, viral numbers were below background seawater values in the younger and more intense of the two event plumes (EP96A), and enhanced in the other (EP96B). Changes in viral abundance may be a secondary response to that of plume bacteria as well as being influenced by particle formation and precipitation within the plumes. Lower bacteria/heat, virus/heat and virus/bacteria ratios in EP96A versus EP96B confirm distinct differences in the microbial response to event plume formation, possibly related to observed differences in plume chemistry.     

Structure of a mudflat diatom community in the Avon‐Heathcote Estuary,New Zealand

Parameters of community structure (species composition and relative abundance, number of taxa, diversity, evenness, and cell density) were measured for a mudflat diatom community in the Avon‐Heathcote estuary, New Zealand. Fifty three diatom species were identified: 25 taxa (species and varieties) are new New Zealand records. The Shannon‐Wiener information index (H') was 3.46, indicating high diversity. Evenness (J') ranged from 0.57–0.67. The association between the biomass of the pulmonate gastropod, Amphibola crenata, and benthic diatom community structure was studied using large open enclosures (4.0 m²) to manipulate snail biomass. Community structure was compared at 0, 5 (natural biomass), and 10 g A. crenata dry weight per m. A similarity index (SIMI=0.88–0.95), as well as H’ and J’ indicated close similarity between the diatom assemblages within all enclosures, but number of taxa increased from 33 to 49 with increasing snail biomass. Cell densities were significantly lower at high snail biomass (6088 valves per mm²) compared to enclosures with no snails (10 110 valves per mm ). A. crenata had a higher ratio of diatom fragments to whole diatom valves in its faeces (2.42) than in its crop (0.55), indicating that it is capable of fragmenting diatoms.     

Deposit feeding ecology of Amphibola crenata I. Long‐term effects of deposit feeding on sediment micro‐organisms

Short‐term effects of deposit feeding on benthic micro‐organisms are known from several marine environments, but longer‐term influences of deposit feeders have not been extensively investigated. The long‐term microbial response to deposit feeding by the gastropod Amphibola crenata was monitored in a 10‐month field study where deposit feeding intensity was controlled in artificial enclosures. The presence of the snail resulted in a minor decrease in bacterial numbers and a slight increase in heterotrophic activity relative to bacterial cell numbers. This effect may have been the long‐term signature of a previously reported pulse in bacterial production during the recolonisation of Amphibola faeces. Normal snail density had a strong inhibitory effect on primary productivity by the benthic microalgae, reducing CO₂ fixation to 29–47% of levels that could be attained when snails were excluded. Variations in the effect of deposit feeding on micro‐organisms over the experimental period suggest that it may be modified by seasonal factors acting on benthic communities. In a similar interaction of influences, seasonal changes in microbial biomass and activity appeared to vary with snail density.     

Upper Water Column Nitrous Oxide Distributions in the Northeast Subarctic Pacific Ocean

This is the first study to investigate the magnitude and distribution of N₂O concentrations along the Line P oceanographic transect in the Northeast (NE) subarctic Pacific Ocean. Concentrations of N₂O were measured from the surface to 600 m depth at five stations between 126°W and 145°W. Although nitrification within the mixed layer may produce some N₂O, we conclude that mixing and diffusion processes, which vertically transport N₂O upwards from below the mixed layer, are the primary sources of N₂O to the surface waters of the NE subarctic Pacific Ocean. Below the mixed layer, nitrification appears to be the dominant source of N₂O, and based on correlations of excess N₂O (ΔN₂O) versus apparent oxygen utilization and NO₃ ^? concentrations, we estimated that the N₂O yield from nitrification was approximately 0.028 to 0.040%. The longitudinal distributions of N₂O concentrations below the mixed layer were variable and we consider the potential role that different transiting water masses may play in contributing to this variability. Finally, we estimated that the regional average sea-to-air N₂O flux was 4.37 mol of N₂O km^?2 d^?1, a value which is approximately four times that of the global average seawater-to-air flux rate. Our N₂O yield estimates are within the range of those expected under oxic conditions, leading us to conclude that decreasing dissolved O₂ concentrations in the NE subarctic Pacific Ocean, and the water masses that influence this region, over the past 50 years have yet to produce a substantial increase in N₂O production. Given the expectation that dissolved O₂ concentrations in the subarctic Pacific Ocean will continue to decrease during this century, this study has provided an important baseline from which future studies will be able to track changes in seawater N₂O concentrations and fluxes to the atmosphere.

[Traduit par la rédaction] La présente étude est la première à s'intéresser à la valeur et à la distribution des concentrations de N₂O le long du transect océanographique de la ligne P dans le Pacifique Nord-Est subarctique. Les concentrations de N₂O ont été mesurées de la surface jusqu’à une profondeur de 600 m à cinq stations entre 126°O et 145°O. Bien que la nitrification à l'intérieur de la couche de mélange puisse produire du N₂O, nous concluons que le mélange et les processus de diffusion, qui transportent verticalement le N₂O vers le haut à partir d'en dessous de la couche de mélange, sont les sources principales de N₂O pour les eaux de surface du Pacifique Nord-Est subarctique. En dessous de la couche mélange, la nitrification semble être la principale source de N₂O, et d'après les corrélations de l'excès de N₂O (ΔN₂O) par rapport à l'utilisation apparente d'oxygène et aux concentrations de NO₃ ^?, nous avons estimé que le rendement en N₂O de la nitrification était approximativement de 0,028 à 0,040%. Les distributions longitudinales des concentrations de N₂O en dessous de la couche de mélange étaient variables et nous considérons le rôle possible que des différentes masses d'eau transitoires peuvent avoir à jouer dans cette variabilité. Finalement, nous avons estimé que la moyenne régionale du flux mer–air de N₂O était de 4,37 moles de N₂O km^?2 j^?1, une valeur qui est environ quatre fois celle du taux planétaire moyen du flux eau de mer–air. Nos estimations du rendement en N₂O sont de l'ordre de celles attendues dans des conditions oxyques, ce qui nous amène à conclure que la diminution des concentrations d'oxygène dissout dans le Pacifique Nord–Est subarctique, et dans les masses d'eau qui influencent cette région, au cours des cinquante dernières années ont encore à produire une augmentation substantielle de production de N₂O. Étant donné qu'on s'attend à ce que les concentrations d'oxygène dissout dans le Pacifique subarctique continuent à diminuer durant le présent siècle, cette étude a fourni une importante base de référence à partir de laquelle de futures études pourront suivre les changements dans les concentrations de N₂O dans l'eau de mer et dans ses flux vers l'atmosphère.     

Geochemical characterization of some tin-mineralizing granites of New South Wales

The granites of three areas of Sn mineralization in the New England Area of New South Wales have been analysed to determine whether geochemical discriminants may be used to distinguish between granites which produce Sn mineralization, and those which do not. Neutron activation analyses of Sn are consistent with reports elsewhere that Sn-mineralizing granites have Sn concentrations of 15–30 μg/g, whereas granites which do not produce mineralization typically have about 5 μg/g Sn. Furthermore, Sn-mineralizing granites form compact groups, distinct from granites not responsible for mineralization, when plotted on ternary diagrams of SiO₂CaO+MgO+FeONa₂O+K₂O+Al₂O₃, Na + KFeMg and CaNaK. We conclude that the Sn-mineralizing granites can be geochemically characterized.     

Structure and composition of the consolidated mud tube of Maldane sarsi (Polychaeta: Maldanidae)

Maldanid polychaetes can be important components of marine benthic communities, playing significant roles in particle subduction or sediment irrigation. Many maldanids are known to inhabit tubes consisting of sediments consolidated by mucus; the structure and composition of these tubes, and their potential impact on benthic environments, are poorly known. We examined the three-dimensional organization of Maldane sarsi tubes, using CT scanning together with analyses of sediment grain size and concentrations of Fe, Mn, organic carbon and bacteria in tube material. M. sarsi tubes consist of stacks of individual consolidated mud disks, surrounding a dense, continuous, inner tube. The tubes of M. sarsi contained fewer fine particles than surrounding sediments, and greater concentrations of Fe, Mn, organic carbon and bacteria, especially in the inner zone. These distributions suggest that tube irrigation affects Fe and Mn oxidation and precipitation in a narrow zone surrounding M. sarsi, and that mucous secretion and potential feeding activities (the hoeing of surface sediments) lead to increases in organic carbon and bacteria in the inner, and deepest parts of the tube. The finding of relict tubes, buried at up to 15 cm depth, indicates a relatively high longevity for these structures and suggests a potential importance in biogeochemical cycling.