Collaborative Research: Site Evaluations and Background Studies of Interactions Among Fluid Chemistry, Physiology, and Community Ecology for Ridge 2000 Lau Basin Integrated Studies

将对东劳扩散中心（ELSC）进行两次探索性航行，以评估选择作为山脊2000计划综合研究地点（ISS）靶心的地点，并进行必要的研究，以便在这一领域进行进一步的跨学科研究。除了勘探和生物绘图外，还将从扩散流喷口的化学性质与宏观生物之间的关系方面对这些地点进行仔细评价。这是特别重要的，因为这个地区唯一可用的水化学数据是从高温喷口，并表明锌是非常高的硫化物和甲烷是非常低的，这是不符合丰富的社区硫化物，也许甲烷氧化共生体在扩散流报告。该研究是对该场址实施计划中概述的前两次国际空间站主要评价航行的补充，并将在这两次航行之后继续进行，其中第一次航行将检查前几次航行确定的多达6个场址，并对3个场址进行详细研究，目的是收集数据，以便最后确定Lau盆地国际空间站靶心场址的选择。第二次巡航将在一年后，在选定国际空间站的靶心之后进行，并将详细描述规划实际国际空间站实验所需的动物生物学和低温热液化学。 第一次航行的工作包括绘制主要群落类型的分布图，使用附有离散样本的原位分析仪测量主要群落类型的水化学，对主要群落类型进行定量取样，确定组成物种并进行系统发育分析，分析以确定主要共生体中共生体使用的还原剂，对不同喷口地区主要物种的生理状况进行测量，对维持这些物种的生命以供进一步研究进行初步研究，并进行各种辅助研究。第二次考察将侧重于一个地点，研究将审查该地点每个离散动物群内化学、生理和生态之间的相互作用，绘制该地点的高分辨率地图，并在第一次考察结果的帮助和指导下对活体动物进行实验。

Two exploratory cruises to the East Lau Spreading Center (ELSC) will be undertaken to evaluate sites for selection as the Integrated Study Site (ISS) bull's eye for the Ridge 2000 program and to carry out studies necessary for further interdisciplinary research in this area. In addition to exploration and biological mapping, the sites will be carefully evaluated in terms of the relation between the chemistry of the diffuse flow vents and the macro-biology. This is especially important to do at this time because the only available water chemistry data for this region is from high temperature vents and indicates that Zn is very high and sulfide and methane are very low; this is not consistent with the abundant communities of sulfide and perhaps methane-oxidizing symbioses reported in diffuse flow. The reserach is complementary to, and will follow upon, the first two major ISS evaluation cruises outlined in the Implementation Plan for the site.The first of the two cruises will examine up to 6 sites identified by previous cruises and carry out detailed studies of 3 sites, with a goal of collecting data for finalizing selection of the bull's eye site for the Lau Basin ISS. The 2nd cruise will take place a year later, after selection of the ISS bull's eye, and will characterize the faunal biology and low temperature hydrothermal chemistry in the detail needed for planning the actual ISS experiments. The work for the first cruise includes mapping of the distribution of major community types, measurement of water chemistry in the major community types using an in situ analyzer supplemented with discrete samples, quantitative sampling of major community types, identification and phylogenetic analyses of component species, analyses to determine the reductant used by the symbionts in the major symbioses, measurements of physiological condition of major species in different vent areas, preliminary studies on maintenance of these species alive for further studies, and a variety of ancillary studies. The second cruise will be focused on a single site and studies will examine interactions between chemistry, physiology and ecology within each of the discrete assemblages of animals at the site as well as constructing very high resolution maps of the site, and carrying out experiments on living animals facilitated and guided by results from the first cruise.