Abstract
To date, 13 biologically active hydrothermal vent (HTV) fields have been described on the West Indian Ocean ridges. Knowledge of benthic communities of these vent ecosystems serves as scientific bases for assessing the resilience of these ecosystems under the global effort to strike an elegant balance between future deep-sea mining and biodiversity conservation. This review aims to summarize our up-to-date knowledge of the benthic community structure and connectivity of these Indian vents and to identify knowledge gaps and key research questions to be prioritized in order to assess the resilience of these communities. The HTVs in the West Indian Ocean are home to many unique invertebrate species such as the remarkable scaly-foot snail. While distinct in composition, the macrofaunal communities of the Indian HTVs share many characteristics with those of other HTVs, including high endemism, strong zonation at the local scale, and a simple food web structure. Furthermore, Indian vent benthic communities are mosaic compositions of Atlantic, Pacific, and Antarctic HTV fauna possibly owning to multiple waves of past colonization. Phylogeographic studies have shed new light into these migratory routes. Current animal connectivity across vent fields appears to be highly influenced by distance and topological barriers. However, contrasting differences in gene flow have been documented across species. Thus, a better understanding of the reproductive biology of the Indian vent animals and the structure of their population at the local scale is crucial for conservation purposes. In addition, increased effort should be given to characterizing the vents’ missing diversity (at both the meio and micro-scale) and elucidating the functional ecology of these vents.
Highlights
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has been working with stakeholders and lawmakers to draft regulations governing seabed mining by 2023 (International Seabed Authority, 2018)
13 biologically active hydrothermal vent (HTV) fields have been described on the West Indian Ocean ridges
We summarize the current state of knowledge about the community composition and connectivity of HTVs in the West Indian Ocean ridges, focusing mainly on macrofaunal species
Summary
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has been working with stakeholders and lawmakers to draft regulations governing seabed mining by 2023 (International Seabed Authority, 2018). 13 biologically active hydrothermal vent (HTV) fields have been described on the West Indian Ocean ridges.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.