A 'vibrant oasis' of chemical-eating creatures found in the deep Pacific
Clusters of tube worms called \"frenulate siboglinids\", extending red hemoglobin-filled tentacles with small mollusks on the tops of the tubes near the tentacles, are seen at a depth of 9,320 meters (30,500 feet) beneath the sea surface at a site called Wintersweet Valley in the northwest Pacific Ocean, in this undated image. Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, CAS (IDSSE, CAS)/Handout via REUTERS
Scientists diving to astounding depths in two oceanic trenches in the northwest Pacific have discovered thriving communities of marine creatures that get their sustenance not by eating organic matter like most animals but by turning chemicals into energy.
They found these chemosynthesis-based animal communities - dominated by tube worms and clams - during a series of dives aboard a crewed submersible to the bottom of the Kuril-Kamchatka and Aleutian trenches. These creatures are nourished by fluids rich in hydrogen sulfide and methane seeping from the seafloor in this dark and frigid realm beyond the reach of sunlight.
These ecosystems were discovered at depths greater than the height of Mount Everest, Earth's tallest peak. The deepest one was 9,533 meters (31,276 feet) below the ocean surface in the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. This was almost 25% deeper than such animals had previously been documented anywhere.
"What makes our discovery groundbreaking is not just its greater depth - it's the astonishing abundance and diversity of chemosynthetic life we observed," said marine geochemist Mengran Du of the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, or IDSSE, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one of the authors of the research published on Wednesday in the journal Nature.
"Unlike isolated pockets of organisms, this community thrives like a vibrant oasis in the vast desert of the deep sea," Du added.
While some marine animals have been documented at even greater depths, nearly 11,000 meters (36,000 feet) below the surface in the Pacific's Mariana Trench, Du said, those were not chemical eaters.
In the new research, the scientists used their submersible, called the Fendouzhe, to journey down to what is called the hadal zone. The hadal zone is where one of the continent-sized plates that make up Earth's crust slides under a neighboring plate in a process called subduction.
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"The ocean environment down there is characterized by cold, total darkness and active tectonic activities," said IDSSE marine geologist and study co-author Xiaotong Peng, leader of the research program.
This environment, Peng said, was found to harbor "the deepest and the most extensive chemosynthetic communities known to exist on our planet."
The Kuril-Kamchatka Trench runs about 2,900 km (1,800 miles) and is located off the southeastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Aleutian Trench runs roughly 3,400 km (2,100 miles) off the southern coastline of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.
The newly observed ecosystems were dominated by two types of chemical-eating animals - tube worms that were red, gray or white in color and around 20-30 cm (8-12 inches) long and clams that were white in color and up to 23 cm (nine inches) long. Some of these appear to be previously unknown species, Du said.
"Even though living in the harshest environment, these life forms found their way in surviving and thriving," Du said.
Some non-chemical-eating animals, sustained by eating organic matter and dead marine creatures that filter down from above, also were found living in these ecosystems, including sea anemones, spoon worms and sea cucumbers.
Du, the expedition's chief scientist, described what it was like to visit this remote watery sphere.
"Diving in the submersible was an extraordinary experience -like traveling through time. Each descent transported me to a new deep-sea realm, as if unveiling a hidden world and unraveling its mysteries," Du said, while expressing amazement at the remarkable resilience and beauty of the creatures the scientists witnessed.
The study illustrates how life can flourish in some of the most extreme conditions on Earth - and potentially beyond.
"These findings extend the depth limit of chemosynthetic communities on Earth. Future works should focus on how these creatures adapt to such an extreme depth," Peng said.
"We suggest that similar chemosynthetic communities may also exist in extraterrestrial oceans, as chemical species like methane and hydrogen are common there," Peng added. REUTERS
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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Straits Times
A 'vibrant oasis' of chemical-eating creatures found in the deep Pacific
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Clusters of tube worms called \"frenulate siboglinids\", extending red hemoglobin-filled tentacles with small mollusks on the tops of the tubes near the tentacles, are seen at a depth of 9,320 meters (30,500 feet) beneath the sea surface at a site called Wintersweet Valley in the northwest Pacific Ocean, in this undated image. Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, CAS (IDSSE, CAS)/Handout via REUTERS Scientists diving to astounding depths in two oceanic trenches in the northwest Pacific have discovered thriving communities of marine creatures that get their sustenance not by eating organic matter like most animals but by turning chemicals into energy. They found these chemosynthesis-based animal communities - dominated by tube worms and clams - during a series of dives aboard a crewed submersible to the bottom of the Kuril-Kamchatka and Aleutian trenches. These creatures are nourished by fluids rich in hydrogen sulfide and methane seeping from the seafloor in this dark and frigid realm beyond the reach of sunlight. These ecosystems were discovered at depths greater than the height of Mount Everest, Earth's tallest peak. The deepest one was 9,533 meters (31,276 feet) below the ocean surface in the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. This was almost 25% deeper than such animals had previously been documented anywhere. "What makes our discovery groundbreaking is not just its greater depth - it's the astonishing abundance and diversity of chemosynthetic life we observed," said marine geochemist Mengran Du of the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, or IDSSE, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one of the authors of the research published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. "Unlike isolated pockets of organisms, this community thrives like a vibrant oasis in the vast desert of the deep sea," Du added. While some marine animals have been documented at even greater depths, nearly 11,000 meters (36,000 feet) below the surface in the Pacific's Mariana Trench, Du said, those were not chemical eaters. In the new research, the scientists used their submersible, called the Fendouzhe, to journey down to what is called the hadal zone. The hadal zone is where one of the continent-sized plates that make up Earth's crust slides under a neighboring plate in a process called subduction. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Water supply issues during Toa Payoh blaze affected firefighting operations; SCDF investigating Singapore MHA to support HSA's crackdown on Kpod abusers and help in treatment of offenders: Shanmugam Singapore Tampines, Toa Payoh BTO flats most popular among first-time home buyers in July HDB launch Sport Leon Marchand sets first world record at World Aquatics C'ships in Singapore Singapore Jail, fine for man linked to case involving 3 bank accounts that received over $680m in total Singapore Provision shop owner who raped 11-year-old gets more than 14 years' jail Singapore School, parents on alert after vape peddlers approach primary school pupil Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made "The ocean environment down there is characterized by cold, total darkness and active tectonic activities," said IDSSE marine geologist and study co-author Xiaotong Peng, leader of the research program. This environment, Peng said, was found to harbor "the deepest and the most extensive chemosynthetic communities known to exist on our planet." The Kuril-Kamchatka Trench runs about 2,900 km (1,800 miles) and is located off the southeastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Aleutian Trench runs roughly 3,400 km (2,100 miles) off the southern coastline of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The newly observed ecosystems were dominated by two types of chemical-eating animals - tube worms that were red, gray or white in color and around 20-30 cm (8-12 inches) long and clams that were white in color and up to 23 cm (nine inches) long. Some of these appear to be previously unknown species, Du said. "Even though living in the harshest environment, these life forms found their way in surviving and thriving," Du said. Some non-chemical-eating animals, sustained by eating organic matter and dead marine creatures that filter down from above, also were found living in these ecosystems, including sea anemones, spoon worms and sea cucumbers. Du, the expedition's chief scientist, described what it was like to visit this remote watery sphere. "Diving in the submersible was an extraordinary experience -like traveling through time. Each descent transported me to a new deep-sea realm, as if unveiling a hidden world and unraveling its mysteries," Du said, while expressing amazement at the remarkable resilience and beauty of the creatures the scientists witnessed. The study illustrates how life can flourish in some of the most extreme conditions on Earth - and potentially beyond. "These findings extend the depth limit of chemosynthetic communities on Earth. Future works should focus on how these creatures adapt to such an extreme depth," Peng said. "We suggest that similar chemosynthetic communities may also exist in extraterrestrial oceans, as chemical species like methane and hydrogen are common there," Peng added. REUTERS
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4 days ago
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EU climate goals at risk as ailing forests absorb less CO2, scientists say
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5 days ago
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‘Darkening' cities is as important for wildlife as greening them
Cities at night are ideal laboratories to responsibly explore our relationships with light and dark, says the writer. For billions of years, life has depended on earth's rhythm of day and night. DNA codifies body clocks in all animals and plants, which helps their cells act according to this cycle of light and dark. Humans have disrupted this cycle, though, by producing artificial light at night. A growing body of scientific evidence shows this can have negative effects on many different forms of life. Essentially, artificial light at night changes the sensory capacities of living things. It can disturb the magnetic orientation of migratory birds and beguile insects, causing them to become easier prey and exhausting them. The same disruption to body clocks we see in wildlife is also linked to health consequences in people. Apart from some caves, deserts and deep-sea trenches, most of earth has been invaded by light pollution to some degree, or is under threat of its encroachment. In 2001, astronomer Pierantonio Cinzano and his colleagues created the first global atlas of light pollution. It calculated that two-thirds of the world's population lived in areas where nights were at least 10 per cent brighter than natural darkness. The scale of the problem was updated in 2016 when the team renewed its atlas. By that time, 83 per cent of people globally were living under a light-polluted sky – and 99 per cent in the UK, Europe and North America. The situation is not improving: Too much light in the wrong place or at the wrong time causes big problems. But restoring darkness can help mitigate some of these issues – and cities are a good place to start. Alternative urban illumination Light is widely associated with safety, security and surveillance, but it does not necessarily deter crime. A 2019 study in Melbourne, Australia, for example, showed that more lighting alone did not create safer urban spaces. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Here, light is produced by a marine bacterium inside saltwater-filled tubes: A mix of basic nutrients feeds the bacteria, which glow in response. These 'lights' are turned off again by stopping airflow into the tubes, putting the bacteria into a dormant state. Unlike traditional street lamps, they do not need to be connected to the electricity grid, and their intensity is never sufficient to disturb wildlife. This could open new avenues for the design of urban illumination – which is important, as we need new options. Cities at night are ideal laboratories to responsibly explore our relationships with light and dark – for the benefit not only of people, but the countless species we share earth with. Nick Dunn is a professor of urban design at Lancaster University. This article was first published in The Conversation .
