Preliminary study on the acute effects of hydrogen sulfide on Amphipoda (Lysianassoidea; Pseudorchomene sp. and Anonyx sp.) collected from deep-sea floors in the Sea of Japan

Abstract

To study the environmental impact of the assessment technologies for the development of shallow methane hydrate zones in the Sea of Japan, deep-sea amphipods (Pseudorchomene sp. and Anonyx sp.) were collected from a depth of approximately 1000 m and were tested for H2S toxicity. At 0.57 mg L−1 H2S, all specimens of Pseudorchomene sp. were dead after 96 h, whereas all individuals survived at 0.18 mg L−1. Moreover, Anonyx sp. had a survival rate of 17 % after 96 h at 0.24 mg L−1. A similar toxicity test was conducted with the coastal amphipod Merita sp., a detritivore, and all individuals died within 24 h at 0.15 mg L−1. These results suggested that compared with coastal detritivorous amphipods, deep-sea detritivorous amphipods, which also live near biomats with sediment H2S concentrations exceeding 10 mg L−1, showed a higher tolerance to H2S.