Earthworms and snails withstand pressure 2,500 meters underground in the Pacific Ocean
A giant insect has been discovered crawling on the ocean floor of the Pacific Ocean, revealing an ecosystem that thrived in the harsh environment, according to a study published by Nature Communications.
Researchers discovered a thriving community 2,515 meters (8,250 feet) below the surface off the coast of Central America.
An underwater oasis has been created beneath the mountains that run north and south across the Pacific Ocean. In this part of the chain, the two plates move away from each other, opening hydrothermal vents that are heated by magma and release compound-laden water.
The underwater zone was first discovered in the 1970s. But new research has found that tubeworms and molluscs can thrive despite water pressure 250 times higher than at the surface and total darkness.
Animals The inhabitants of Atlantis survive on nutrients produced by bacteria on the ocean floor.
Scientists are now trying to understand how tubeworm larvae move so quickly and settle in new areas around the vents created by each underwater eruption.
underwater zoo
One theory is that the larvae enter beneath the Earth’s crust with cold deep water, where they mix with hotter water produced by earthquakes or eruptions, “and then they spill out to the surface and settle,” says marine biologist Monica Bright. he said. Professor at the University of Vienna and co-author of the Nature Communications study.
Scientists collected samples and images of the ocean floor using a remotely operated submarine equipped with a specialized excavator to lift the rock.
“We were trying to collect rocks and discovered there was a cavity underneath,” Bright told AFP.
This cavity hid an underwater menagerie of adults, shelled limpets, polychaetes, or bristles, and marine snails.
Bright said his team’s work showed that “unexpected discoveries” can be made even in places that have been studied for more than 30 years, adding: “Maybe no one had thought of examining the crust of an animal before. I guess it’s because of that.”
The cavity was about 10 centimeters deep, and the insects were found up to 41 centimeters long.
Bright said the situation is similar to what tubeworms live on the ground. “We measured temperatures of up to 25 degrees Celsius, oxygen was present, and moderate concentrations of toxic hydrogen sulfide were also present.”
“The larvae can disperse within cavities and settle in lava cracks and the ocean floor, or even in shallow vents where they can grow to adulthood and thereby reproduce,” the study said. are.
Bright said researchers believe the animals may not be able to dive that deep because the deeper you go, the warmer the temperature, the less oxygen, and the higher the concentration of hydrogen sulfide.
“It’s important to know who lives there and be able to protect them from deep-sea mining,” Bright says. “This animal is unique and should be protected.”
Further information: Monika Bright et al., Animal ecology in the shallow subseafloor crust at deep-sea hydrothermal vents, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52631-9
© 2024 AFP
Citation: Earthworms and snails cope with pressure 2,500 meters below the surface of the Pacific Ocean (October 19, 2024) https://phys.org/news/2024-10-worms-snails-pressure-2500m-pacific.html Retrieved October 19, 2024 from
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