The discovery was made in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

Sep 8, 2011 08:12 GMT  ·  By
Close-up images showing the discovery: the top-right and bottom-left images show close-up views of the site hosting chemosynthetic tubeworms (T) and shrimp (S) containing chemosynthetic bacteria
   Close-up images showing the discovery: the top-right and bottom-left images show close-up views of the site hosting chemosynthetic tubeworms (T) and shrimp (S) containing chemosynthetic bacteria

During an expedition to the Mid-Cayman Rise south of Grand Cayman Island, in the Caribbean, a group of experts managed to discover two new species of animals, living in the incredibly-harsh conditions around a hydrothermal vent.

These structures are spots on the oceanic crust where gases and heat from the Earth's mantle are vented out. Water temperatures at these locations can reach hundreds of degrees, while acidity is through the roof. Oxygen lacks almost entirely, and freezing temperatures await nearby.

In the past, scientists found bacteria and other microorganisms at these locations, but now experts aboard the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) research ship Okeanos Explorer managed to discover that complex creatures can endure such conditions as well.

Chemosynthetic shrimp and tubeworms were thought to be an impossibility around hydrothermal vents, so biologists did not really expect the new dining. Interestingly, researchers with the new expedition – which took place between August 5-15 – also discovered live tubeworms.

This is the first time a live tubeworm is discovered around the vents at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. “On the very first ROV, or remotely-operated vehicle, dive, we observed abundant shrimp of a species different in appearance from other Mid-Atlantic Ridge species,” Paul Tyler, PhD, explains.

The expert holds an appointment as a professor of marine biology at the University of Southampton, in the United Kingdom. He was aboard the Okeanos Explorer over the course of the new investigation.

“These shrimp had characteristics previously seen only on shrimp containing chemosynthetic bacteria, and we identified them as such,” the expert says. “During the ROV’s second dive, we were witness to the first discovery of a live hydrothermal tubeworm in the Atlantic,“ Chris German, PhD, adds.

He was the science leader of the new expedition. The researcher holds an appointment as the chief scientist for the National Deep Submergence Facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), in Massachusetts.

“I will take that home as my personal key discovery moment for the cruise,” he adds.

“Not only did we see extensive tube worm communities of differing sizes and shapes across the length and breadth of a large hydrothermal vent field, but we observed for the first time anywhere, chemosynthetic shrimp and tubeworms inhabiting the same hydrothermal site,” German says.

“The significance of these observations is that the iconic symbol of Pacific vents is the tubeworm, while the iconic symbol of Atlantic vents is the vent shrimp. To find both together has important implications for the evolution of vent communities in the Caribbean as the Atlantic became separated from the Pacific some five million years ago,” Tyler concludes.