深海热液生物群落研究综述

深海热液口吸其生物群落自1977年发现以来,受到海洋学界和生物界的广泛关注,并在热液生物生理、生态和生物地理学等方面取得了显著的进展.本文就该领域的研究进展做一简要的综述,主要内容包括热液生物群落的基本特征、种类组成和时空变化.     

生命的起源与高压生命科学

自发现海底热泉以来,科学家对深海热泉的地质结构、化学成分、生物群落、生物代谢过程等进行了深入的研究.海底热液周围呈现了和地球表面完全不同的生态环境,在暗无阳光的深海区域,嗜热细菌完全依靠化学能量生存繁殖,而热液中其他生物则以嗜热细菌为食,形成了繁茂独特的生态系统.和地表常压环境相比,在高压热液条件下,更容易聚合生成有机大分子,且有机大分子更稳定、化学反应活性更强,形成更多样化的生命体.越来越多的科学家推测原始的生命大分子可能起源于海底热液系统.本文在综述了有关"超高压热液生命"研究文献的基础上,提出采用高压生物系统,研究在高压状态下生物发育生长的适宜条件,探索生物可能出现的新化学反应和新生物性状,进一步揭示新的生命进化规律.     

海底黑烟囱与生命起源的关系及其矿物分带研究

1977年,美国科学家乘坐＂阿尔文＂（Alrin）号到达东太平洋约2500米深的加拉帕格斯海底。他们发现在海底上耸立着数十个喷着黑色和白色烟雾的丘状体,约200℃～350℃的含矿热液从直径约15cm的烟囱中喷出。热液与周围的海水混合后很快发生沉淀,沉淀物主要为黄铁矿、黄铜矿、磁黄铁矿、闪锌矿等硫化物。同时,他们还发现在热泉出口附近这个没有阳光且缺氧的环境中还生活着大量奇异的生物,它们构成了一个庞大的生物群落。这些喷着热液的丘状体就称为海底黑烟囱。海底黑烟囱的发现引起了地球科学界及生物科学界的极大关注,因为其一方面不仅具有极大的经济潜力,而且还可以直接观测矿产的成矿过程,另一方面由于其特殊的深海生物群落的发现,对生命起源的研究有着重要的意义。     

南充秋季农田景观中无脊椎动物的生物多样性初步研究

对四川省南充市郊农田景观各元素中脊椎动物的生物多样性进行初步研究，结果显示：1.池塘边缘生物的多样性指数和丰富度最高，但生物数量很低．2．蔬菜地物种均匀度最高，且数量也最多.并通过各个景观元素生物群落结构的比较，得出有利于提高生物多样性指数和丰富度的因素，为农田景观的合理设计，保证农业的持续发展提供参考．     

苏州河水质与着生生物群落的生态学变化关系的研究

为了研究苏州河着生生物群落的生态学变化与水质之间的相互联系，于2001年夏秋两季对该河流三个断面的着生生物群落的生态学变化进行了连续观察，研究结果为：秋季和夏季相比，生物物种数增加，其生物优势种密度和个体密度降低，多样性指数升高；重污染水质指示生物种类数下降，轻污染水质指示生物种类数上升，表明着生生物群落的生态学变化对水质有较好的监测和指示作用。     

贵州布寨泥盆纪生物礁的古生物学和古生态学特征

贵州布寨泥盆纪生物礁发育在独山组的鸡泡段和鸡窝寨段,大部分是骨架礁,主要由层孔虫和床板珊瑚构成。部分是障积礁,主要由枝状床板珊瑚和藻类构成。在礁组合中可识别出4个生物群落和一个生物组合,各生物群落和生物组合发育于各自互不相同的环境。根据生物群落和生物组合的生态分析及与邻区礁组合的生物群落对比,认为布寨礁发育在环境条件较为稳定的浅海,海水的温度、含盐度、清洁度、深度和水动力条件都比较适合造礁生物生长。图2,参9。     

城市生物多样性保护的景观生态学原理和方法

景观生态学以景观为研究对象，强调景观结构和功能对生态过程的影响，重视景观中生物群落与主要环境条件之间错综复杂的因果反馈关系．因此，在城市生物多样性保护中，导入景观生态学的理念和方法，必将为城市生物多样性的保护提供新的思路和视角．城市生物多样性保护的景观生态学原理主要包括斑块一廊道一基质模式、景观多样性和景观异质性、景观连接度及景观连通性以及景观生态规划格局原理等．城市生物多样性的保护要从城市园林斑块的建设、席道的规划设计、城市绿色生态网络的构建以及大型的城郊森林斑块和环城森林带建设入手．     

贵州、广西石炭纪晚期生物礁群落生态系统对比

为了深入认识石炭纪晚期生物礁的生物和环境因素对礁体发育的影响，通过礁群落生态和栖息环境两个方面，对贵州、广西石炭纪晚期造礁生物群落生态特征、生物因素对礁群落发育的影响、礁体发育背景和礁体建造规模的影响等方面进行对比研究.贵州猴场地区造礁生物群落中关键种优势地位明显，造礁生物生长迅速、统殖能力强，礁体规模大使得生物礁发育较成熟；广西浪平地区点礁中没有明显的关键种和优势种，造礁生物生态特点不突出、造礁能力弱，滩相环境影响显著和礁体规模偏小是其礁体发育差的直接原因.     

汉江中下游河段生态系统结构特征及其沿程变化

根据2001年调查资料，对汉江中下游河段水生态系统理化性状（包括水温、pH、总悬浮物、可溶解磷、总磷、氨氮、亚硝酸氮、硝酸氮、总氮、硅、溶解氧、CODMn、生物需氧量及叶绿素a含量）和生物群落结构（包括浮游植物、浮游动物和底栖动物现存量）的沿程变化及其各因子之间的相互关系进行了分析，研究表明：沿江污染物的排放对生物群落结构影响较大，临近污染源的江段浮游植物、原生动物和耐污性的底栖动物现存量较高，甲壳动物现存量较低，浮游植物现存量与水温和水文情势有关．     

舟山对虾养殖塘大型污损生物群落数量组成研究

挂板试验和分析自然群落相结合的方法,研究舟山西闪岛对虾养殖塘中大型污损生物群落生态,旨在为虾塘防污提供理论依据。大型污损生物是舟山对虾养殖塘中的主要敌害生物,其生物量和覆盖面积随塘内、水闸、进排水道等的位置、季节和污损生物种类的不同而变化．     

热液喷口生物群的研究现状

深海热液喷口生物群的研究已取得了一些进展 ,其研究内容主要包括两方面 :一是现代热液喷口生物群的地理分布、种类划分、生态习性与食物来源及其对海底的依存性等 ;二是古海底热液喷口生物群化石的个体大小、化学成分、形态分布、矿化方式以及与现代海底生物群的比较。     

An off-axis hydrothermal vent field near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 30 degrees N.

Evidence is growing that hydrothermal venting occurs not only along mid-ocean ridges but also on old regions of the oceanic crust away from spreading centres. Here we report the discovery of an extensive hydrothermal field at 30 degrees N near the eastern intersection of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Atlantis fracture zone. The vent field--named 'Lost City'--is distinctly different from all other known sea-floor hydrothermal fields in that it is located on 1.5-Myr-old crust, nearly 15 km from the spreading axis, and may be driven by the heat of exothermic serpentinization reactions between sea water and mantle rocks. It is located on a dome-like massif and is dominated by steep-sided carbonate chimneys, rather than the sulphide structures typical of 'black smoker' hydrothermal fields. We found that vent fluids are relatively cool (40-75 degrees C) and alkaline (pH 9.0-9.8), supporting dense microbial communities that include anaerobic thermophiles. Because the geological characteristics of the Atlantis massif are similar to numerous areas of old crust along the Mid-Atlantic, Indian and Arctic ridges, these results indicate that a much larger portion of the oceanic crust may support hydrothermal activity and microbial life than previously thought.     

Earthquake-induced changes in a hydrothermal system on the Juan de Fuca mid-ocean ridge

Hydrothermal vents on mid-ocean ridges of the northeast Pacific Ocean are known to respond to seismic disturbances, with observed changes in vent temperature. But these disturbances resulted from submarine volcanic activity; until now, there have been no observations of the response of a vent system to non-magmatic, tectonic events. Here we report measurements of hydrothermal vent temperature from several vents on the Juan de Fuca ridge in June 1999, before, during and after an earthquake swarm of apparent tectonic origin. Vent fluid temperatures began to rise 4-11 days after the first earthquake. Following this initial increase, the vent temperatures oscillated for about a month before settling down to higher values. We also observed a tenfold increase in fluid output from the hydrothermal system over a period of at least 80 days, extending along the entire ridge segment. Such a large, segment-wide thermal response to relatively modest tectonic activity is surprising, and raises questions about the sources of excess heat and fluid, and the possible effect on vent biological communities.     

Seismic identification of along-axis hydrothermal flow on the East Pacific Rise

Hydrothermal circulation at the axis of mid-ocean ridges affects the chemistry of the lithosphere and overlying ocean, supports chemosynthetic biological communities and is responsible for significant heat transfer from the lithosphere to the ocean. It is commonly thought that flow in these systems is oriented across the ridge axis, with recharge occurring along off-axis faults, but the structure and scale of hydrothermal systems are usually inferred from thermal and geochemical models constrained by the geophysical setting, rather than direct observations. The presence of microearthquakes may shed light on hydrothermal pathways by revealing zones of thermal cracking where cold sea water extracts heat from hot crustal rocks, as well as regions where magmatic and tectonic stresses create fractures that increase porosity and permeability. Here we show that hypocentres beneath a well-studied hydrothermal vent field on the East Pacific Rise cluster in a vertical pipe-like zone near a small axial discontinuity, and in a band that lies directly above the axial magma chamber. The location of the shallow pipe-like cluster relative to the distribution and temperature of hydrothermal vents along this section of the ridge suggests that hydrothermal recharge may be concentrated there as a consequence of the permeability generated by tectonic fracturing. Furthermore, we interpret the band of seismicity above the magma chamber as a zone of hydrothermal cracking, which suggests that hydrothermal circulation may be strongly aligned along the ridge axis. We conclude that models that suggest that hydrothermal cells are oriented across-axis, with diffuse off-axis recharge zones, may not apply to the fast-spreading East Pacific Rise.     

Suspended zinc sulfide particles in the Southwest Indian Ridge area and their relationship with hydrothermal activity

Suspended particle samples collected in the water column at 7 stations in the hydrothermal vent area in the Southwest Indian Ridge were studied by electronic scanning microscope （SEM） and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry （EDX）. A method of zinc sulfide （ZnS） mineral phase identification by SEM and EDX data was proposed, and related adequacy and limitation of the method were presented. 29 ZnS particles with various morphologies were found. 27 sphalerite particles and two wurtzite particles were distinguished by joint consideration of their morphology and chemical element composition. Two types of sphalerite particles with different dissolving intensities were differentiated, which may be depended on the duration of the particles existence in the water column. More than half of the total sphalerite particles include 12 high Fe-containing particles （Fe 〉 10 wt%） were found at the Station 21VII-CTD7, suggesting a close link to the adjacent active hydrothermal vent. Sphalerite particles at Station 2VI-CTD3 contained only one Fe-containing par- ticle and their amount ranked second among that at all the survey stations, suggesting a good correspondence to the adjacent inactive hydrothermal vent. Only six non-iron ZnS particles were found at the rest eastern 5 stations, sug- gesting a weak influence of hydrothermal activities in the eastern area.     

Hydrogen is an energy source for hydrothermal vent symbioses

The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents in 1977 revolutionized our understanding of the energy sources that fuel primary productivity on Earth. Hydrothermal vent ecosystems are dominated by animals that live in symbiosis with chemosynthetic bacteria. So far, only two energy sources have been shown to power chemosynthetic symbioses: reduced sulphur compounds and methane. Using metagenome sequencing, single-gene fluorescence in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, shipboard incubations and in situ mass spectrometry, we show here that the symbionts of the hydrothermal vent mussel Bathymodiolus from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge use hydrogen to power primary production. In addition, we show that the symbionts of Bathymodiolus mussels from Pacific vents have hupL, the key gene for hydrogen oxidation. Furthermore, the symbionts of other vent animals such as the tubeworm Riftia pachyptila and the shrimp Rimicaris exoculata also have hupL. We propose that the ability to use hydrogen as an energy source is widespread in hydrothermal vent symbioses, particularly at sites where hydrogen is abundant.     

Submarine hot springs and the origin of life

The discovery of hydrothermal vents at oceanic ridge crests and the appreciation of their importance in the element balance of the oceans is one of the main recent advances in marine geochemistry. It is likely that vents were present in the oceans of the primitive Earth because the process of hydrothermal circulation probably began early in the Earth's history. Here we examine the popular hypothesis that life arose in these vents. This proposal, however, is based on a number of misunderstandings concerning the organic chemistry involved. An example is the suggestion that organic compounds were destroyed on the surface of the early Earth by the impact of asteroids and comets, but at the same time assuming that organic syntheses can occur in hydrothermal vents. The high temperatures in the vents would not allow synthesis of organic compounds, but would decompose them, unless the exposure time at vent temperatures was short. Even if the essential organic molecules were available in the hot hydrothermal waters, the subsequent steps of polymerization and the conversion of these polymers into the first organisms would not occur as the vent waters were quenched to the colder temperatures of the primitive oceans.     

Constrained circulation at Endeavour ridge facilitates colonization by vent larvae

Understanding how larvae from extant hydrothermal vent fields colonize neighbouring regions of the mid-ocean ridge system remains a major challenge in oceanic research. Among the factors considered important in the recruitment of deep-sea larvae are metabolic lifespan, the connectivity of the seafloor topography, and the characteristics of the currents. Here we use current velocity measurements from Endeavour ridge to examine the role of topographically constrained circulation on larval transport along-ridge. We show that the dominant tidal and wind-generated currents in the region are strongly attenuated within the rift valley that splits the ridge crest, and that hydrothermal plumes rising from vent fields in the valley drive a steady near-bottom inflow within the valley. Extrapolation of these findings suggests that the suppression of oscillatory currents within rift valleys of mid-ocean ridges shields larvae from cross-axis dispersal into the inhospitable deep ocean. This effect, augmented by plume-driven circulation within rift valleys having active hydrothermal venting, helps retain larvae near their source. Larvae are then exported preferentially down-ridge during regional flow events that intermittently over-ride the currents within the valley.     

Detection of methane plumes in the water column of Losatchev hydrothermal vent field, Mid-Atlantic Ridse

During DY105-17 cruise onboard the PJV ＂Da Yang Yi Hao＂ in 2005, methane concentrations in the water column above Logachev hydrothermal vent field were measured by applying stripping/trapping-gas chromatographic （GC） and the distinct methane plumes were detected. Results show that the background methane concentration within the Logachev area is from 1.05 nmol/L to 1.68 nmol/L, significantly higher than the background level of the Atlantic abyssal plain of 0.4-0.5 nmol/L, suggesting that hydrothermal venting is a major source of dissolved methane to the ocean. The highest anomalies of methane concentrations in the water column range from 7.14 nmol/L to 113.9 nmol/L and occur just at 180-500 m above the seafloor. The distribution of methane concentration and the structural characteristics of hydrothermal plumes are strongly influenced by the supply of underlying hydrothermal fluids, the mixing process of ocean bottom currents and the microbial oxidation. Furthermore, the differences in distribution of methane plume between the station MAR-CTD3 and the other stations indicate a probable unknown hydrothermal vent site nearby. There occurs high concentration of methane along with temperature and nephelometry anomalies, which strongly confirms that the subtle measurement of methane concentration in water column is one of the effective ways to locate active sites of hydrothermal venting.     

Early-stage mineralization of hydrothermal tubeworms： New insights into the role of microorganisms in the process of mineralization

As an important part of marine hydrothermal system, hydrothermal vent faunas live in hydrothermal inorganic environment and closely interact with hydrothermal inorganic environment. Sometimes, they can participate in the mineralization process of modern hydrothermal site. Hydrothermal vent faunas, particularly vesUmentiferan and polychaete tubeworms, are occasionally preserved in the geological record. Study on the early mineralization process of hydrothermal vent fauna is significant for understanding the interaction between mineral and organism, and also the formation and preservation mechanism of geological fossil in hydrothermal environment. In this paper, the early stage of mineralization of Vestimentiferan Ridgeia piscesae tubes collected from Juan de Fuca Ridge is studied. The results showed that a lot of filamentous microorganisms were unevenly distributed on the surface of internal wall and in the interspace of the wall of tubeworm. In some cases, microorganisms aggregated as thin layers in or on the wall of tubeworm. The surfaces of microbial cells and the products of microbial degradation may play an important role in the early mineralization of tubeworm. Semitransparent thin layers of organic matter containing sulfur and sulfur granules were commonly found on the wall of tubeworm with lower degree of mineralization. The degradation production of these semitransparent thin layers may accelerate the mineralization of tube wall during the early stage. EDS results showed that on the tube walls some chemical elements such as Fe, P, Ca and Si are selectively enriched from ambient hydrothermal environment. Interestingly, P, Ca and Si covary with Fe content. Because element S originated from the bio-oxidation of H2S by symbiotic microorganism in the tissue of tubeworm, it can be considered as a biomarker when studying the mineralization process of tube wall. Based on the characteristics of tubeworms with different degrees of mineralization, we suggested that the early mineralization stage of tube wall was mai