Biogeography and Evolution of Chemosynthetic Ecosystems in the Southern Ocean

该研究项目利用2009年和2010年由英国同事领导的一个重大实地项目的机会主义优势，定位和调查南大洋第一个化学合成生态系统(热液喷口和冷渗漏)。这些系统日益被认为是三个不同的生物地理喷口动物区系之间基因流动的潜在“门户”或“障碍”：东太平洋隆起、中大西洋海脊和中/西南印度海脊系统。私家侦探已经确定了方圆几(5)公里内存在高温热液喷发的地点。这项拟议的工作将在2009年1月的第一次英国研究巡航期间精确定位、表征和采样这些系统。在该项目的第二年，私家侦探将对这些系统的关键生物、地质和地球化学成分进行采样。这项研究将有助于确定南大洋海脊系统的殖民机制，包括1)主要由水文地理学驱动的“EPR省”动物群的殖民；2)由板块运动的构造史驱动的“大西洋”或“印度”动物群的殖民；3)新生命形式的独立原地演化。这一结果将大大有助于理解南大洋乃至世界范围内化学合成动物的进化和生态。该项目将支持世界卫生组织/麻省理工学院联合计划(生物学)学生的博士学位，并将为海洋生物普查的国际象棋计划(化学合成生态系统)的目标做出贡献。除了那些已经建立的项目(例如，通过NSF Ridge2000项目的学生海上实验和Dive&Amp；Discover)，调查人员将使用这些项目提供的多语言外展活动。所涉及的极端情况的组合，即化学燃料驱动的深海生态系统和遥远的南大洋，将激发公众的想象力，并将包括参与史密森学会的一个新的大型展览。

The research project takes opportunistic advantage of a major field program led by colleagues in the UK in 2009 and 2010, to locate and investigate the first chemosynthetic ecosystems (hydrothermal vents and cold-seeps) in the Southern Ocean. These systems are increasingly recognized as a potential "gateway" or "barrier" to gene flow between three distinct biogeographic vent-faunal provinces: the East Pacific Rise, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Central/SW Indian Ridge system. The P.I.s have identified sites where high-temperature hydrothermal venting exists to within a few (5) kilometers. The proposed effort will precisely locate, characterize and sample these systems during a first UK research cruise in Jan 2009. During the second year of the project, the P.I.s will engage in sampling key biological, geological and geochemical components of these systems. The research will help to determine colonization mechanisms of Southern Ocean ridge systems, includeing 1) Colonization by "EPR-province" fauna, driven primarily by hydrography; 2) Colonization from the "Atlantic" or "Indian" fauna, driven by the tectonic history of plate movements; 3) Independent, in situ evolution of novel life forms. The results will contribute significantly to understanding the evolution and ecology of chemosynthetic fauna in the Southern Ocean and, indeed, worldwide. The project will support the PhD of a WHOI/MIT Joint Program (Biology) student , and will contribute to the goals of the Census of Marine Life's ChEss program (Chemosynthetic Ecosystems). The investigators will use multi-lingual outreach activities that those programs afford in addition to those already established (e.g. Student Experiments at Sea through the NSF Ridge2000 Program and Dive & Discover). The combination of extremes involved, i.e. chemically fuelled deep-ocean ecosystems and the remote Southern Ocean, will capture the public's imagination, and will include involvement in a new major exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution.