Larval Connectivity between Deep‐Sea Hydrothermal Vents via Surface Waters

Abstract

All photographs in this section are provided by authors of papers in our scientific journals and are used by permission.All copyrights reserved. Larval dispersal significantly contributes to the population dynamics, biogeography, and evolutionary processes of invertebrate animals endemic to hydrothermal vents—patchily distributed, ephemeral habitats in the deep sea. Converging evidence from swimming behavior, temperature optimum, and population genetics strongly suggests that the planktotrophic larvae of the red-blooded limpet Shinkailepas myojinensis migrate vertically to the photic zone to take advantage of richer food supplies and stronger currents. Sea surface temperature may represent a critical factor in determining the geographic distribution of many vent-endemic species with a planktotrophic early development, and in turn the faunal composition of individual vent sites and regions. These photographs illustrate the article “Do larvae from deep-sea hydrothermal vents disperse in surface waters?” by Takuya Yahagi, Hiromi Kayama Watanabe, Shigeaki Kojima, and Yasunori Kano, published in Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1800