Recent advances in our understanding of the life history of bresiliid vent shrimps on the MAR
Dixon, D.R.; Dixon, L.R.J.; Pond, D.W. (1998). Recent advances in our understanding of the life history of bresiliid vent shrimps on the MAR. Cah. Biol. Mar. 39(3-4): 383-386. https://dx.doi.org/10.21411/CBM.A.7A5BA34
In: Cahiers de Biologie Marine. Station Biologique de Roscoff: Paris. ISSN 0007-9723; e-ISSN 2262-3094
Also appears in:
(1998). Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Biology: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal 20-24 October 1997. Cahiers de Biologie Marine, 39(3-4). Station Biologique de Roscoff: Roscoff. 219-392 pp., more
Hydrothermal sites on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) are dominated by dense communities of bressiliid shrimps. Given the discontinuous nature of venting along the ridge axis, vent shrimp populations are continually faced with the threat of local extinction linked to the ephemeral nature of hydrothermal emissions. During a BRIDGE-funded FLUXES cruise to the Broken Spur vent field (Chief scientist, B. J. Murton), in August 1995, a series of vertical plankton trawls were taken along and across the ridge axis, between 200 and 1000 metres above the bottom using the IOS RMT1+8 net system, in an attempt to collect vent-shrimp larvae which, it was anticipated, would be in the water column above the vents. Details of the sampling programme are to be found in the accompanying paper by P. Herring (1998). Adult vent shrimps and net-collected larvae, representing three distinct morphological types, were subjected to molecular analysis to establish their species identities. The different larval stages contained large amounts of bright-orange coloured (carotenoid pigmented) lipids in their thoracic regions and first three abdominal segments. Given the small egg size (less than 1 mm in diameter), this raised the question of the source of this storage material. To provide an answer to this question, plus a greater insight into the life history of vent shrimps, fatty acid analysis was carried out on the eggs, larvae, small adults and adults, thereby covering virtually all the different life stages.
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