Giant sponge gardens discovered on seamounts in the Arctic deep sea
Little food reaches the depths below the permanently ice-covered Arctic Ocean, because light limits the productivity of algae. However, scientists from Bremen, Bremerhaven and Kiel now discovered a surprisingly rich and densely populated ecosystem on the peaks of extinct underwater volcanoes, reporting their findings in the journal. These hotspots of life were dominated by sponges, growing there in large numbers and to impressive size.
Microbial analysis of the microorganisms supported the researchers' hypothesis."The microbes have just the right toolbox for this habitat," explains Ute Hentschel from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, who carried out the microbiological analyses with her team."The microbes have the genes to digest refractory particulate and dissolved organic matter and use it as a carbon and nitrogen source, as well as a number of chemical energy sources available there.
The scientists also showed that the sponges act as ecosystem engineers: They produce spicules that form a mat on which they crawl. This may further facilitate the local settling of particles and biogenic materials. The sponge holobionts can tap into this detrital matter, thus creating their own food trap.Langseth Ridge is an underwater mountain range not far from the North Pole that sits beneath the permanently ice-covered water's surface.
The Arctic is one of the most affected regions by climate change."Prior to our study, no similar sponge ground has been identified in the high Central Arctic, an area of the ice-covered ocean which remains understudied given the difficulties associated with observing and sampling such ice- covered deep-sea ecosystems," Morganti stresses.
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