Abstract
Bacterioplankton abundance of the hydrothermal plumes in the North Fiji Basin (NFB) was anomalously high in bottom waters at several sampling stations. Good correlation between the manganese concentration and the bacterial viable counts was found for the bottommost waters. Sulfur bacterial strains, supposedly major chemosynthetic microorganisms associated with hydrothermal activity, were isolated from the bottommost water. The bacterial population growth and the CO 2-uptake by the sulfur bacterial strains suggested the sulfur bacteria in the plumes were facultatively autotrophic. Also, a sulfur bacterial strain from the hydrothermal fluid was shown to be thermophilic-eurybaric. Biogeochemical roles of the planktonic sulfur bacteria in the hydrothermal area were pointed out as: (1) a food source to filter-feeders of the vent fauna; and (2) a possible first settler of the hydrothermal ecosystems.
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