What is it about?
At hydrothermal vents along the East Pacific Rise, Dirivultid copepods are one of the most abundant animal groups. They are small (1 mm long) crustaceans that feed on bacterial mats, and have successfully colonized both the lukewarm, competitive diffuse flow habitats and the hot, extreme habitats of the hydrothermal vent chimney. In this study we investigate their tolerance to high temperature and oxygen deprivation, and reveal how these physiological limits influence their community compositions.
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Photo by Cristian Palmer on Unsplash
Why is it important?
this study contributes to our growing knowledge of extreme deep-sea habitats, as it helps us understand the extent of physiological stresses that animals are actually experiencing in the turbulent mixing of hydrothermal fluids with the surrounding water. Additionally, the study sheds light on how complex species interactions and physiological limits work together to determine species ranges and how communities recover from the periodic volcanic eruptions that affect these unique ecosystems.
Perspectives
Writing this article was a great opportunity to kickstart my career in deep-sea biology. I cannot thank my supervisors enough for allowing me to join the expedition to East Pacific Rise vents where I conducted my experiments. Getting to work with live specimens from such remote locations is something very few people can claim to have done, and I hope my experiments can contribute meaningfully to how we think of what life is actually like for animals living in these peculiar ecosystems.
Alessandro Messora
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Limits of life: Thermal tolerance of deep-sea hydrothermal vent copepods and implications for community succession, PLOS One, November 2025, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0333996.
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