Articles | Volume 20, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2693-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2693-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Differential feeding habits of the shallow-water hydrothermal vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus correlate with their resident vent types at a scale of meters
Jing-Ying Wu
Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
Department of Aquaculture, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan
Siou-Yan Lin
Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
Jung-Fu Huang
Department of Aquaculture, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan
Chen-Tung Arthur Chen
Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
Jia-Jang Hung
Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
Shao-Hung Peng
Department of Biology, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung 944, Taiwan
Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
NSYSU Frontier Center for Ocean Science and Technology, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
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In acidic hot springs off Kueishantao, Campylobacteria fix CO2 by using the reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle, causing them to have an isotopically heavier biomass. Here, we report extremely low isotopic fractionation (of almost 0 ‰), which has never been reported in environmental samples. Moreover, the crab Xenograpsus testudinatus relies up to 34 % on campylobacterial biomass, highlighting the dependency of complex life on microscopic Bacteria in harsh environments.
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Short summary
The shallow-water hydrothermal vents off the Kueishan Island, Taiwan, have the most extreme records of pH values (1.52), temperatures (116 °C), and H2S concentrations (172.4 mmol mol−1) in the world. White and yellow vents differ in the color and physical and chemical characteristics of emitted plumes. We found that the feeding habits of the endemic vent crabs (Xenograpsus testudinatus) are adapted to their resident vent types at a distance of 100 m, and the trans-vent movement is uncommon.
The shallow-water hydrothermal vents off the Kueishan Island, Taiwan, have the most extreme...
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