Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2, Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan.
Research and Development (R&D) Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Natsushima-cho 2-15, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2018 Jun 19;8(1):9364. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27596-7.
Hydrothermal vent fields are vulnerable to natural disturbances, such as volcanic activity, and are currently being considered as targets for mineral mining. Local vent communities are linked by pelagic larval dispersal and form regional metacommunities, nested within a number of biogeographic provinces. Larval supply depends on the connectivity of the dispersal networks, and affects recoverability of communities from disturbances. However, it is unclear how the dispersal networks contribute to recoverability of local communities. Here, we integrated a population dynamics model and estimation of large scale dispersal networks. By simulating disturbances to vent fields, we mapped recoverability of communities in 131 hydrothermal vent fields in the western Pacific Ocean. Our analysis showed substantial variation in recovery time due to variation in regional connectivity between known vent fields, and was not qualitatively affected by potential larval recruitment from unknown vent fields. In certain cases, simultaneous disturbance of a series of vent fields either delayed or wholly prevented recovery. Our approach is applicable to a dispersal network estimated from genetic diversity. Our method not only reveals distribution of recoverability of chemosynthetic communities in hydrothermal vent fields, but is also a practical tool for planning conservation strategies.
热液喷口场容易受到自然干扰，如火山活动，目前正被视为矿产开采的目标。局部喷口群落通过远洋幼虫扩散而相互连接，并形成区域复合群落，嵌套在多个生物地理区域内。幼虫供应取决于扩散网络的连通性，并影响群落对干扰的恢复能力。然而，扩散网络如何有助于局部群落的恢复能力尚不清楚。在这里，我们整合了种群动态模型和大规模扩散网络的估计。通过模拟对喷口场的干扰，我们绘制了西太平洋 131 个热液喷口场群落的恢复能力图。我们的分析表明，由于已知喷口场之间的区域连通性的变化，恢复时间有很大的变化，并且不受来自未知喷口场的潜在幼虫补充的定性影响。在某些情况下，一系列喷口场的同时干扰会延迟或完全阻止恢复。我们的方法适用于从遗传多样性估计的扩散网络。我们的方法不仅揭示了热液喷口场中化学合成群落恢复能力的分布，而且还是规划保护策略的实用工具。
