Deep-sea explorers, led by scientists, discovered a previously unbeknownst marine ecosystem during their submersible journey.
In the depths of the ocean, where sunlight is a distant memory, a remarkable form of life thrives. These are the chemosynthetic ecosystems discovered in the hadal zones, regions that plunge beyond 31,000 feet.
According to research, a large amount of the carbon stored in hadal trench sediments is recycled by microorganisms. These microbes survive by utilizing methane through a process called chemosynthesis.
The key mechanism involves methane seepage, where methane-rich fluids rise through faults in sediment layers in deep trenches like the Kuril-Kamchatka and Aleutian Trenches. Specific bacteria and archaea then oxidize this methane, either anaerobically or aerobically, converting it into energy. This energy allows the microbes to convert carbon dioxide (derived from methane or sedimentary organic matter) into organic compounds, a process analogous to photosynthesis but without sunlight.
Many macrofauna, such as tubeworms, harbor these microbes in their tissues. The microbes provide nutrients to the host from methane oxidation, facilitating survival in dark, high-pressure, nutrient-poor environments.
This chemosynthesis-based metabolic pathway is essential because sunlight does not penetrate these extreme depths, precluding photosynthesis. Instead, life relies on chemical energy from methane and other reduced compounds like hydrogen sulfide.
The hadal trenches are seen as reservoirs for methane, but a team led by Du hypothesizes that they also act as recycling centers for methane. By studying these ecosystems, Du hopes to learn more about how species have adapted to such extreme depths.
Meanwhile, deep-sea explorations continue. Johanna Weston, a deep ocean ecologist, recently made significant discoveries offshore from Argentina and near Puerto Rico. Weston identified a new species of isopod that exclusively eats sargassum, a type of abundant seaweed in the Atlantic Ocean. In 2020, she and her colleagues discovered a new species named Eurythenes plasticus in the Mariana Trench, which had microplastic fibers detected in its gut.
Recent estimates suggest that hadal zone sediments could sequester as much as 70 times more organic carbon than the surrounding seafloor, making these regions crucial in the fight against climate change.
The Global Hadal Exploration Program, co-led by UNESCO and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, aims to create a network of deep-sea scientists from multiple countries, furthering our understanding of these extraordinary ecosystems. This expanded knowledge not only sheds light on life’s resilience but also opens up possibilities for the existence of life in similar extraterrestrial habitats.
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