Title |
A hydrothermal seep on the Costa Rica margin: middle ground in a continuum of reducing ecosystems
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Published in |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, March 2012
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DOI | 10.1098/rspb.2012.0205 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Lisa A. Levin, Victoria J. Orphan, Greg W. Rouse, Anthony E. Rathburn, William Ussler, Geoffrey S. Cook, Shana K. Goffredi, Elena M. Perez, Anders Waren, Benjamin M. Grupe, Grayson Chadwick, Bruce Strickrott |
Abstract |
Upon their initial discovery, hydrothermal vents and methane seeps were considered to be related but distinct ecosystems, with different distributions, geomorphology, temperatures, geochemical properties and mostly different species. However, subsequently discovered vents and seep systems have blurred this distinction. Here, we report on a composite, hydrothermal seep ecosystem at a subducting seamount on the convergent Costa Rica margin that represents an intermediate between vent and seep ecosystems. Diffuse flow of shimmering, warm fluids with high methane concentrations supports a mixture of microbes, animal species, assemblages and trophic pathways with vent and seep affinities. Their coexistence reinforces the continuity of reducing environments and exemplifies a setting conducive to interactive evolution of vent and seep biota. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 6 | 5% |
Brazil | 2 | 2% |
Chile | 1 | <1% |
Mexico | 1 | <1% |
United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 1 | <1% |
Japan | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 114 | 90% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 23 | 18% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 21 | 17% |
Student > Bachelor | 17 | 13% |
Student > Master | 14 | 11% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 12 | 9% |
Other | 20 | 16% |
Unknown | 20 | 16% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 50 | 39% |
Environmental Science | 18 | 14% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 16 | 13% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 7 | 6% |
Chemistry | 4 | 3% |
Other | 8 | 6% |
Unknown | 24 | 19% |