Adaptations of Organisms at the Sulfide- and Methane-Containing Hydrothermal Areas of Deception Island, Antarctica

南极洲欺骗岛含硫化物和甲烷热液区生物的适应

• 批准号: 9811427
• 负责人: Horst Felbeck
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego Scripps Inst of Oceanography
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-06-01 至 2000-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9811427&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Adaptations; Organisms; Sulfide; Methane; Containing

9811427 Felbeck Deception Island is a flooded caldera in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The most recent eruption was in the 1970s causing the formation of new islands in the caldera and various other structures. It harbors many hot springs and fumaroles submerged in the caldera and intertidally. Sulfide and methane are prominent chemicals in the outflowing waters. Bacterial densities in the caldera reach unusually high values probably due to the input of reduced chemicals as energy sources. The environment around the springs resembles that found at hydrothermal vents where whole communities are based on the input of chemical energy by the hot waters. Similarities to hydrothermal vent environments include cold waters surrounding the hot springs resulting in large distances to the next warm water habitat and a lack of external food sources. The latter is due to ice cover during winter at Deception Island and the large distance to the euphotic zone at the vent sites. These parameters encourage the evolution of alternative ways to support life such as the establishment of a bacterial symbiosis. This Small Grant for Exploratory Research project will focus on an examination of the warm springs around Deception Island for the presence of marine invertebrates with chemoautotrophic symbionts. Maps will be made of any submerged fumaroles and of warm and hot springs in the intertidal zone. If animals are found near the fumaroles or in the hot springs, specimens will be collected. Collected specimens will be examined for the presence of chemoautotrophic bacteria and other adaptations to a hot sulfide- and methane-rich environment using enzyme text experimental incubations to analyze metabolic pathways and microscopic examination.

9811427 费尔贝克欺骗岛是南极洲南设得兰群岛的一个被洪水淹没的火山口。 最近一次喷发发生在 20 世纪 70 年代，导致火山口和各种其他结构中形成新的岛屿。 它拥有许多淹没在破火山口和潮间带中的温泉和喷气孔。 硫化物和甲烷是流出水中的主要化学物质。 破火山口中的细菌密度达到异常高的值，可能是由于作为能源的化学物质的输入减少。 泉水周围的环境类似于热液喷口的环境，在那里整个社区都是基于热水输入的化学能。 与热液喷口环境的相似之处包括温泉周围的冷水，导致与下一个温水栖息地的距离很远，并且缺乏外部食物来源。 后者是由于欺骗岛冬季被冰覆盖以及喷口处距富光带较远造成的。 这些参数鼓励支持生命的替代方式的进化，例如建立细菌共生。 这项探索性研究项目的小额赠款将重点检查欺骗岛周围的暖泉是否存在具有化能自养共生体的海洋无脊椎动物。 地图将绘制所有淹没的喷气孔以及潮间带的温暖和温泉。 如果在喷气孔附近或温泉中发现动物，将收集标本。 将使用酶文本实验孵化来分析代谢途径和显微镜检查，检查收集的标本是否存在化能自养细菌以及对富含硫化物和甲烷的热环境的其他适应。