Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-Arctic deep sea
Source at: https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10732 Cold seeps can support unique faunal communities via chemosynthetic interactions fueled by seabed emissions of hydrocarbons. Additionally, cold seeps can enhance habitat complexity at the deep seafloor through the accretion of methane derived authigenic c...
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10037/12541 https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10732 |
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ftunivtroemsoe:oai:munin.uit.no:10037/12541 2023-05-15T14:23:29+02:00 Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-Arctic deep sea Åström, Emmelie Carroll, Michael Leslie Ambrose, William Sen, Arunima Silyakova, Anna Carroll, JoLynn 2017-10-27 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/12541 https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10732 eng eng Wiley Limnology and Oceanography info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/RCN/SFF/223259/Norway/Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate/CAGE/ Åström, E., Carroll, M. L., Ambrose, W., Sen, A., Silyakova, A. & Carroll, J. (2017). Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-Arctic deep sea. Limnology and Oceanography, 63(1), 209-S231. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10732 FRIDAID 1514999 doi:10.1002/lno.10732 0024-3590 1939-5590 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/12541 openAccess VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Geofag: 450 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Geosciences: 450 Journal article Tidsskriftartikkel Peer reviewed 2017 ftunivtroemsoe https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10732 2021-06-25T17:55:41Z Source at: https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10732 Cold seeps can support unique faunal communities via chemosynthetic interactions fueled by seabed emissions of hydrocarbons. Additionally, cold seeps can enhance habitat complexity at the deep seafloor through the accretion of methane derived authigenic carbonates (MDAC). We examined infaunal and megafaunal community structure at high-Arctic cold seeps through analyses of benthic samples and seafloor photographs from pockmarks exhibiting highly elevated methane concentrations in sediments and the water column at Vestnesa Ridge (VR), Svalbard (798 N). Infaunal biomass and abundance were five times higher, species richness was 2.5 times higher and diversity was 1.5 times higher at methane-rich Vestnesa compared to a nearby control region. Seabed photos reveal different faunal associations inside, at the edge, and outside Vestnesa pockmarks. Brittle stars were the most common megafauna occurring on the soft bottom plains outside pockmarks. Microbial mats, chemosymbiotic siboglinid worms, and carbonate outcrops were prominent features inside the pockmarks, and high trophic-level predators aggregated around these features. Our faunal data, visual observations, and measurements of sediment characteristics indicate that methane is a key environmental driver of the biological system at VR. We suggest that chemoautotrophic production enhances infaunal diversity, abundance, and biomass at the seep while MDAC create a heterogeneous deep-sea habitat leading to aggregation of heterotrophic, conventional megafauna. Through this combination of rich infaunal and megafaunal associations, the cold seeps of VR are benthic oases compared to the surrounding highArctic deep sea. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Svalbard University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive Arctic Svalbard Limnology and Oceanography 63 S1 S209 S231 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtroemsoe |
language |
English |
topic |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Geofag: 450 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Geosciences: 450 |
spellingShingle |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Geofag: 450 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Geosciences: 450 Åström, Emmelie Carroll, Michael Leslie Ambrose, William Sen, Arunima Silyakova, Anna Carroll, JoLynn Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-Arctic deep sea |
topic_facet |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Geofag: 450 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Geosciences: 450 |
description |
Source at: https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10732 Cold seeps can support unique faunal communities via chemosynthetic interactions fueled by seabed emissions of hydrocarbons. Additionally, cold seeps can enhance habitat complexity at the deep seafloor through the accretion of methane derived authigenic carbonates (MDAC). We examined infaunal and megafaunal community structure at high-Arctic cold seeps through analyses of benthic samples and seafloor photographs from pockmarks exhibiting highly elevated methane concentrations in sediments and the water column at Vestnesa Ridge (VR), Svalbard (798 N). Infaunal biomass and abundance were five times higher, species richness was 2.5 times higher and diversity was 1.5 times higher at methane-rich Vestnesa compared to a nearby control region. Seabed photos reveal different faunal associations inside, at the edge, and outside Vestnesa pockmarks. Brittle stars were the most common megafauna occurring on the soft bottom plains outside pockmarks. Microbial mats, chemosymbiotic siboglinid worms, and carbonate outcrops were prominent features inside the pockmarks, and high trophic-level predators aggregated around these features. Our faunal data, visual observations, and measurements of sediment characteristics indicate that methane is a key environmental driver of the biological system at VR. We suggest that chemoautotrophic production enhances infaunal diversity, abundance, and biomass at the seep while MDAC create a heterogeneous deep-sea habitat leading to aggregation of heterotrophic, conventional megafauna. Through this combination of rich infaunal and megafaunal associations, the cold seeps of VR are benthic oases compared to the surrounding highArctic deep sea. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Åström, Emmelie Carroll, Michael Leslie Ambrose, William Sen, Arunima Silyakova, Anna Carroll, JoLynn |
author_facet |
Åström, Emmelie Carroll, Michael Leslie Ambrose, William Sen, Arunima Silyakova, Anna Carroll, JoLynn |
author_sort |
Åström, Emmelie |
title |
Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-Arctic deep sea |
title_short |
Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-Arctic deep sea |
title_full |
Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-Arctic deep sea |
title_fullStr |
Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-Arctic deep sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-Arctic deep sea |
title_sort |
methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-arctic deep sea |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/12541 https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10732 |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Svalbard |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Svalbard |
op_relation |
Limnology and Oceanography info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/RCN/SFF/223259/Norway/Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate/CAGE/ Åström, E., Carroll, M. L., Ambrose, W., Sen, A., Silyakova, A. & Carroll, J. (2017). Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high-Arctic deep sea. Limnology and Oceanography, 63(1), 209-S231. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10732 FRIDAID 1514999 doi:10.1002/lno.10732 0024-3590 1939-5590 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/12541 |
op_rights |
openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10732 |
container_title |
Limnology and Oceanography |
container_volume |
63 |
container_issue |
S1 |
container_start_page |
S209 |
op_container_end_page |
S231 |
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1766296028470837248 |