Nearest vent, dearest friend: biodiversity of Tiancheng vent field reveals cross-ridge similarities in the Indian Ocean.

ABSTRACT: Biodiversity of hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean, particularly those on the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR), are still relatively poorly understood. The Tiancheng field on the SWIR was initially reported with only a low-temperature diffuse flow venting area, but here we report two new active areas, including a chimney emitting high-temperature vent fluids. Biological sampling in these new sites doubled the known megafauna and macrofauna richness reported from Tiancheng. Significantly, we found several iconic species, such as the scaly-foot snail and the first Alviniconcha population on the SWIR. Tiancheng shares a high proportion of taxa with vents on the Central Indian Ridge (CIR) and lacks a number of key taxa that characterize other vents investigated so far on the SWIR. Popu

SUBMITTER: Sun J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7137978 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature