Studying the Dispersal of Deep Sea Fauna using Sunken Logs

In an environment very remote and seemingly desolate, life thrives in conditions much different than those of our aquarium. Hydrothermal vents and “cold seeps” spot the sea floor and around these vents lives a community of animals capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and water saturated with chemicals like methane and hydrogen. A team of scientists from Germany are using sunken wooden logs to help understand the dispersal of life throughout the sea floor and between these “hotspots.” To theorize how these vents become so diversely populated the team sank large wooden logs 1700 meters down on the Eastern Mediterranian sea floor for an entire year. The team then returned and observed a diverse number of snail, crab, and other microorganism.  These fauna are diverse sates lead researcher Christina Bienhold: “We were surprised how many animals had populated the wood already after one year. The main colonizers were wood-boring bivalves of the genus Xylophaga, also named “shipworms” after their shallow-water counterparts. The wood-boring Xylophaga essentially constitute the vanguard and prepare the habitat for other followers,” Bienhold said. “But they also need assistance from bacteria, namely to make use of the cellulose from the wood, which is difficult to digest.” A cargo hold of deep sea creatures, these communities can form on things like whale carcasses and other organic items ending up on the sea floor. These “hotspots” will continue to feed the diversity of our oceans and will continue to foster the dispersal of fauna from place to place. Read more here!