HERMIONE News - CORE

(Continued from previous page)hheat flux corer (Ifm-Geomar) was used for in situ measurements of sediment temperatureaand thermal conductivity. The targeted videographic and biogeochemical as well aseecological investigations were used in combination to quantify physical, biogeochemicalaand ecological processes in chemosynthetic ecosystems, and to study the link between thedeep-water geosphere and biosphere in the Eastern Mediterranean.dCold seeps including mud volcanoes and pockmarks are considered as “hotspots” ofCiincreased biological activity on the seabed. In the food-poor environment of the EastMediterranean the contrast is large between the rather scarce fauna of the regularMdeep-sea sediments, and the highly abundant fauna of many of the cold seeps in the area,diincluding the mud volcano Amsterdam. Several ROV explorations of the different habitatson this mud volcano allowed us to identify the numerous spots or patches of increasedoFigure 3: Ann and Clara sieving sedimentonboard RV Merian.bbivalve or polychaete abundance. The presence of species such as the mussel Idas, rmss in assaassociationssocociaiatitionon witwithh dadarkrk ggrrey or black sediments pointed to thepresence of reduced habitats thriving on chemical derived energy. Incontrast to other seeps worldwide the East Med seep fauna ischaracterized by much smaller species but the local diversity seemed atfirst sight relatively high. We also used a new high-resolution camera fromMPI on the ROV to achieve a better view of the small-scale structure ofbenthic habitats. This camera was built in cooperation with our college IanMacDonald (Florida State University, USA). The obtained pictures areremarkable; placing the camera in front of interesting objects it offers thechance to see even small details, which are otherwise not visible. However,Figure 4 (main image): High-resolution image of the seafloorshowing tubeworms, shells, animal tracks and fecal pellets.a rather smooth operation of the ROV manipulator was necessary but withsome patience the pilots were able to place the camera directly in front of the object.During thedive we alsobDh dl realizedl d hhow muchhtime it cost taking nice images. We spend half the dive for this purpose but it is worthwhile as can been on the pictures.In situ biogeochemical measurements to investigate changes in the geological and chemical drivers of chemosyntheticecosystems have been conducted at the Amon mud volcano. We have studied this area already during the METEOR expeditionM70/2 BIONIL in 2006 (EU-Hermes). Coming back to the same chemosynthetic habitats three years later, we were totallysurprised to find the previously rather fauna-impoverished central area populated by a rich world of bacteria, fish, crabs, wormsand bivalves, along with several different signs of a declining activity in mud volcanism. First result from in situ oxygen uptake ratemeasurements, as a measure for the overall benthic activity, revealed increased oxygen consumption at microbial mat sitesbetween 2006 and 2009. The heat flux transects carried out by the team from IFM-GEOMAR showed strongly decreasedtemperature gradients in the underlyingto 2006.y g seabed comparedpThese combined studies willhelp to reveal the geologicalprocesses, which cause differentecosystemstructuresandhabitat distributions, and toquantify the amount and fate ofclimaterelevantgasesthatescape with the fluids or areutilized and consumed by theMIONHotspot EcosyEuropean seasERFigure 5: Scientific party of leg MSM 13/3 (left) and MSM 13/4 (right)EHchemosynthetic biota.ctmonsteResearchand Man’spaImHERMIONE Newsletter, Issue 3, Spring 20105

11112Roberto Danovaro , Daniela Zeppilli , Cristina Gambi , Antonio Pusceddu , Fabio Trincardi1CoNISMa ULR - Department of Marine Science, Polytechnic University of Marche – Italy2CNR ISMAR Institue of Marine Sciences – Bologna -ItalySpatial heterogeneity at various scales influences important re, communitycomposition and several ecosystem processes. It is consolidated bothin terrestrial and marine ecosystems, but not yet extensivelyinvestigated in the deep sea.A full assessment of the deep-sea benthic biodiversity requires adetailed analysis of the complexity of the bottom topography. Still wedo not know at which spatial scales benthic organisms interact withthe environment and which is their potential dispersal. Determiningwhether a given phenomenon appears or applies across a broad rangeof scales, or whether it is limited to a narrow range of scales, andassessing the appropriate scales to investigate distinct ecologicalphenomena is a key topic within the HERMIONE project.Fig. 1 The staff of scientists and PhD students of the CoNISMa - Polytechnic Universityof Marche and CNR onboard of the R/V Urania during the IMPACT09 cruiseThe Polytechnic University of Marche-CONISMA (Italy) incollaboration with CNR-ISMAR (Italy; Fig. 1) has been investigating therojectct. ThThee SoSoututhehernrn Adriadriatiticc MaMargrginin iiss mamarkrkededlyly ssteepteepteep aandndSouthern Adriatic margin since 2006 in the framework of HERMES project.SouthernAdriaticMarginmarkedlyerosional above ca. 350 m water depth and morphologically more articulated down to the basin floor. We collected 239 sedimentsamples from 73 deep-sea sites in the Southern Adriatic margin fromtthe Bari Canyon, the Gondola landslide, the Dauno seamount, andffrom several seabed structures (furrows, sediment waves, troughs,llandslide scars, etc.). This margin is characterized by the presence ofa canyon (Bari canyon), several submarine landslides (includingGondola slide) and a seamount (Dauno seamount; Fig. 2). Where theGsslope is not erosional, a large variety of bedforms and sediment driftdeposits record the prolonged activity of bottom currents.dDuring the HERMIONE cruise IMPACT09 (Urania, 17th-26th MarchD22009) we selected six stations along a transect with increasing waterdepth of 200 meters (the shallowest 200 m water depth, the deepestd11200 m water depth). The sampling strategy included, for eachsstation, three independent deployments of box corer, each onessub-replicated three times.Fig. 2 A bathymetric map of South-Western Adriatic margin, acquired using multibeam, whichreveals the extreme complexity of the seabed (by CONISMA -Polytechnic University ofMarche and CNR-ISMAR)This strategy allowed us to identify the variability of benthicTpprokaryotic and meiofaunal assemblages at several scales along abbathymetric transect in the South-Western Adriatic Sea (betweenstations,deploymentsinibbetween differentdiffd li theh samestation, and within a single deployment).The comparison of the different 3D-structures revealedMIONHotspot EcosyEuropean seasERFig. 3 An example of the differences in benthic biodiversity (nematode assemblages among differentstructures)EHthe presence of significant differences in speciescomposition, with a large fraction of themexclusively associated to specific topographicstructures (Fig. 3). These studies will provide crucialinformation for the mapping of deep-sea benthicbiodiversity and for defining the future experimentaldesigns aimed at investigating deep-sea biodiversity.ctmHERMIONENewsletter,Issue3, Spring 2010HERMIONENewsletter,Issue2, November2009onsteResearchand Man’spaIm6 3

News from the MAREANO projectThe project MAREANO (Marine AREA database for NOrwegian coast and sea areas) aims to map marine benthic habitatsand biodiversity in Norwegian waters. MAREANO is a multi-disciplinary programme, bringing together biologists from theInstitute of Marine Research (IMR), geologists from the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), and the Hydrographic Service(SKSD). In addition to responsibilities for different fieldwork activities, the partners collate existing information and presentit integrated in the web portal www.mareano.no. The project is financed by the ministries of the Environment, Fisheries andCoastal Affairs, Trade and Industry and the Research Council of Norway.The focus during the first mapping period, 2005-2010, has been to provide knowledge to support the implementation ofthe Norwegian Barents Sea management plan. The goal is to obtain information for the regulation of human activities suchas the petroleum industry and fisheries. This is done by conducting seabed mapping with sampling and video recordings ofsediments and fauna. The new information provides a baseline for management of the environment and biodiversity in thesea.MAREANO was launched in 2005, starting with multi-beam mapping in a small area, and since then a total of 7 cruises havebeen conducted. For 2010 two cruises (42 days in total) are planned for the area off Lofoten-Vesterålen. To date, 51 000km2 has been mapped by multi-beam surveys, and 48 000 km2 investigated by visual inspection and sampling for geology,biology, and pollutants. The mapped areas cover different landscapes from shallow banks to the abyssal plains (40 – 2700m)with troughs, ridges, canyons, mega sand waves, cold seeps and coral reef areas. The task of mapping marine substratum,biodiversity and vulnerable biota in a varied seascape is challenging. Not all habitats can be sampled using the same gear,MION(Continued overleaf)Hotspot EcosyEuropean seasEREHFigure 1: The basketstar (Gorgonocephalus eucnemis) is a key species in a special biotope at around 900 m depth sitting on pebbles and cobbles.ctmonsteResearchand Man’spaImHERMIONE Newsletter, Issue 3, Spring 20107

(Continued from previous page)aandnot all taxonomic groups are equally well known. TheMAREANO mapping program tries to take this into account byMaapplying a wide set of sampling techniques to get as correctppicture as possible of the diversity of bottom fauna. To documentiinfauna, epifauna and hyperbenthos, video, grab, beam trawl andeepibenthic sled are used. These provide unique information ofbboth fauna and their environment. At all stations video-transectsaare conducted that are 700 – 1000 m in length. High resolutionbbathymetric maps are available from all areas (5-m grid above 500m depth) and the substratum is analyzed using backscatteriinterpretation. With this information at hand, locations forssampling of fauna and sediments are selected. The habitatdescriptors provided are: composition of sediment (wheredssampling is possible), percentage cover of sediment types fromvvideo, multi-beam information that provides values for rugosity,rrelief, bathymetric position index, acoustic reflection (seabedhhardness).Figure 2: Top: amphipods inhabiting stalks and tubes of other organisms toget a better feeding position; bottom: the carnivorous sponge Chondrocladia gigantea.Preliminary results from MAREANO cruises in 2009PIIn 2009 The MAREANO program completed baseline mapping intthe areas the “Egga-margin” and in “Nordland VII” offVesterålen/Lofoten. Altogether, 129 localities were investigatedVduring two three-week long cruises covering 132 video-transectsdaand 26 sampling stations in an area of 16 000 km2. The coverageof video-transects was 8.3/1000 km2 and for sampling stationso11.6/1000.6/6/10100000 km2.kkm2m2.The “Egga-margin”On the northern “Egga-margin”many of the same biotopes asidentified earlier by MAREANO onthe “Tromsøflaket” area wereobserved. At 200-500 m depth onthe shelf, ”sponge-bottoms” withpatchesofdensespongecommunities are common, occurringon a seabed consisting of a matrix ofsponge spicules and mud. In this areatrawl-marks were frequent andoccurred at 81 of the 115 study sitessurveyed in 2009.Another biotope is the morainicshelf-break gravel areas with basketFigure 3: The Andøya canyon, with examples of habitats and fauna.stars (Gorgonocephalus eucnemis).A: Upper parts with steep sides covered with consolidated clay and occasional occurrence of corals like ParagorgiaThese biotopes are intersected byarborea. B C and D: In the thalweg the sediment is soft and here the large sea-pen Umbellula encrinus occurs at 900areas with strong currents and largemeters depth and borrows made by infauna can be seen. Areas with sand ripples and dense cover of anemones wereobserved at greater depths. E: Below 2000 m the holothurians Elpidia sp were frequent.sand waves. Similar sand waves haveearlier been documented byMAREANO in the ”Hola” area in the vicivicinitygeneralpoorstrongininitty off 333300 LLopheliaophhelialia rreefs.eeffs. IIneen genenererall tthehe ffaunaaunana iiss poorr aandndd ccurrentsurrerrentntss araree ststrronng iinnthe sand-wave fields.In deeper water (700-900 m), in the Bjørnøya slide area the gorgonian coral Radicipes was observed for the first time inNorwegian waters. This coral occurred in relatively dense stands in a restricted area.(Continued overleaf)MIONHotspot EcosyEuropean seasEREHOn the soft bottom on the lower slope (900-1100 m) on the “Egga-margin” a rich fauna of small crustaceans (Peracarida)were found living on stalks and tubes of other organisms (polychaetes, crinoids, hydroids, sponges, etc). In this area thectmonsteResearchand Man’spaImHERMIONE Newsletter, Issue 3, Spring 20108

(Continued from previous page)carnivorous sponge Chondrocladia gigantea was much more common than further south in Nordland VII.Nordland VII off Lofoten and VesterålenThe greatest depths were mapped in Nordland VII (2700 m) where the bottom temperature is between - 0,5 and -1,1 ‘C,and the fauna is arctic. Here the landscape is dramatic with short distances (10-25 km) between shallow banks and thedeep-sea basin.The shelf and slope with canyons in the Nordland VII area represent a varied terrain with a strong gradient also inhydrography. Above 600 meters, corresponding to the light blue zone, temperature stays above 0,5 ’C in the northAtlantic water. At 600 – 900 meters depth there is a transition layer of Norwegian Sea arctic intermediate water (the lightblue zone) with temperatures between 0,5 and -0,5 ‘C. Below, in the Norwegian Sea deep-water, the temperature ispermanently below zero, between -0,5 and -1,1 ’C .In the deepest areas in Nordland VII (2200-2700m) the environment seemed homogenous. Fewer locations than plannedwere visited due to bad weather and technical problems but the documentation of biology and geology is regarded assufficient. The megafauna at these depths appear to be common for the deep northern parts of the Atlantic and theNorwegian Sea. This fauna was dominated by the holothurians Elpidia sp. and Kolga hyalina, the stalked crinoid Rhizocrinuslofotensis together with the crustaceans Bythocaris leucopis and Saduria sp. and the sea urchin Pourtalesia cf. jeffreysi.These species or close relatives have been documented in recent studies from the Canadian basin. The fauna is not speciesrich, but specific for the arctic deep-water.The abundance of infauna at these depths was very low and fauna is clearly richeron the shallower slope than at 2000 m.Some strange formations were observed at 2100 m that are difficult to explain both biologically and geologically. The deepandwide tunnels ( 40 cm across) that have beenaobservedseveral times on the slope are hard to imagineohavingbeen produced by any marine organism we knowhfromthese depths. However, the geologists also lack anfexplanationfor these features. In the vicinity, bacteriaecoatingon gravel indicates that cold seeps may occur. Wecalsoa observed the peculiar hydroid Candelabrum sp. whichisi known from areas at the Mid-Atlantic ridge in relationtot gas seeps.Figure 4: Top: Strange sediment features observed at 2000 m on the slope.Bottom: From left: the stalked crinoid Rhizocrinus lofotensis, the red shrimp Bythocaris leucopis, and the blue holothurian Kolga hyalina, found below 2000 m.Plans for 2010This year MAREANO will conduct two mapping cruises in areas covering neighboring parts of the shelf and slope tocomplete the mapping of prioritized areas in the Barents Sea. Guest scientists are welcome to participate on our cruises.MIONHotspot EcosyEuropean seasEREHLene Buhl-Mortensen and teamctmHERMIONENewsletter,Issue3, Spring 2010HERMIONENewsletter,Issue2, November2009onsteResearchand Man’spaIm9

MIONcpaImtmRonsteEuroHotspot Ecosypean seasEHEResearchand Man’sIn brief.New Paper: High spatial heterogeneity of prokaryotic communities in the Kazan MVA new paper is in press regarding the structure of prokaryotic communities from the Kazan mud volcano (MV) sediment. This MVis part of the Anaximander Mountains, eastern Mediterranean Sea, which host several active and non-active mud volcanoes. Weinvestigated the high-resolution sediment depth (every 5 cm, for the top 30 cm) 16S rRNA gene diversity in an active site of theMV, characterised by recent mud flow and the occurrence of gas hydrates the size of rice grains. We found only 38 unique archaealphylotypes but 205 for bacteria. In addition, in each sediment layer, bacteria always had higher diversity than Archaea. Both of thecommunities were very different even at consecutive depths (i.e. every 5 cm) but at 15 and 20 cm below sea floor the prokaryoticcommunities were highly similar, hosting AOM-specific Archaea and bacteria. Most of the archaeal phylotypes were related to thefamous methane-oxidisers ANME-1, -2 and -3 and the ones we found were very similar to those from habitats where anaerobicoxidation of methane (AOM) occurs, even though they occurred in sedimentlayers with no apparent AOM (below the sulfate depletion depth).Proteobacteria were the most abundant and diverse bacterial group, with theγ-Proteobacteria dominating in most sediment layers and were related tophylotypes involved in methane cycling. The δ-Proteobacteria included severalof the sulfate-reducers related to AOM. The rest of the bacterial phylotypesbelonged to 15 known phyla and three unaffiliated groups, with representativesfrom similar habitats. It seems that the prokaryotic communities are not fullyestablished in this site, apart from the 15 and 20 cm bsf. This raises the need formonitoring of these communities on a temporal scale, so we can tell when theprokaryotic communities respond and how long it takes for them to establishand perform their functional role, e.g., methane oxidation.Maria G. Pachiadaki, Vasilios Lykousis, Euripides G. Stefanou, Konstantinos Ar. Kormas (in press)“Prokaryotic community structure and diversity in the sediments of an active submarine mud volcano(Kazan MV, East Mediterranean Sea)” FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2010.00857Above: Deploying a corer to sample mud at Kazan mud volcanoAnin

investigated was large wood falls. Experiments have been deployed 3 and 2 years ago but also during leg MSM13/3 and have been re-sampled and recovered to get a better understanding of temporal succession of wood degrading communities. It is an old theory that chemosynthe