DOI: 10.1126/science.1102556 ISSN:
A Serpentinite-Hosted Ecosystem: The Lost City Hydrothermal Field
Deborah S. Kelley, Jeffrey A. Karson, Gretchen L. Früh-Green, Dana R. Yoerger, Timothy M. Shank, David A. Butterfield, John M. Hayes, Matthew O. Schrenk, Eric J. Olson, Giora Proskurowski, Mike Jakuba, Al Bradley, Ben Larson, Kristin Ludwig, Deborah Glickson, Kate Buckman, Alexander S. Bradley, William J. Brazelton, Kevin Roe, Mitch J. Elend, Adélie Delacour, Stefano M. Bernasconi, Marvin D. Lilley, John A. Baross, Roger E. Summons, Sean P. Sylva- Multidisciplinary
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° to 90°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.