IMIS - Marine Onderzoeksgroepen

Chemosynthetic ecosystems including hot vents, cold seeps, mud volcanoes and sulphidic brine pools are highly fractured and diverse deep-water habitats shaped by dynamic, small- and large-scale geological processes, which vary substantially in time and space. The discovery of hydrothermal vents, cold seeps and gas hydrates in subsurface sediments and rocks showed that significant ecosystems on Earth are fuelled by reduced chemical substances (H₂S, H₂, Fe) and hydrocarbons (e.g. CH₄). These ecosystems show the highest biomasses and productivity of all those found in the deep sea. Only a tiny fraction of the microbiota at vents and seeps has been identified, and a huge diversity of more than 99% remains to be discovered. Larger animals inhabiting chemosynthetic ecosystems display intriguing symbiotic associations, physiological adaptations, life cycles, reproduction and dispersal strategies.