A Serpentinite-Hosted Ecosystem: The Lost City Hydrothermal Field
SciencePublished 3 March 2005
Deborah S. Kelley, Jeffrey A. Karson, Gretchen L. Früh‐Green, D. Yoerger, Timothy M. Shank, D. A. Butterfield
Citations1,249
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score10.42
SNIP6.62
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TL;DR
The serpentinite-hosted Lost City hydrothermal field is a remarkable submarine ecosystem in which geological, chemical, and biological processes are intimately interlinked.
Abstract
The serpentinite-hosted Lost City hydrothermal field is a remarkable submarine ecosystem in which geological, chemical, and biological processes are intimately interlinked. Reactions between seawater and upper mantle peridotite produce methane- and hydrogen-rich fluids, with temperatures ranging from <40 degrees to 90 degrees C at pH 9 to 11, and carbonate chimneys 30 to 60 meters tall. A low diversity of microorganisms related to methane-cycling Archaea thrive in the warm porous interiors of the edifices. Macrofaunal communities show a degree of species diversity at least as high as that of black smoker vent sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, but they lack the high biomasses of chemosynthetic organisms that are typical of volcanically driven systems.
Keywords
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