Abstract
The vent fauna of Manus Back-Arc Basin were investigated during the 21st cruise of the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh in May–June 1990. Communities associated with three active hydrothermal fields were explored during a series of dives by the DSRV Mir. At least sixteen vent species were collected; some of them are new. Material for physiological and biochemical analyses was collected as well. Special attention was paid to the exploration of spatial distribution of animals. Distributional information is combined with our knowledge on the biology of animals to construct a food web of the community. Species composition of the communities investigated is similar but relative abundance varies. These differences seem to be a result of temporal changes in the communities. Early stages of the cycle of the Manus Basin vents are hypothetically dominated by vestimentiferans but mesogastropods will replace them with time. Faunal composition and community structure of the Manus Basin reinforce the likelihood that the hydrothermal vents of western Pacific spreading centres have been in communication with each other. The Manus Basin vent fauna displays close affinity with the communities of the North Fiji and Lau Basins as compared with the Mariana Trough vent region.
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