Table 1.
Environmental characteristics and faunal collections for Pompeii worm, tubeworm, mussel habitats, and proximate and distant basalt habitats, associated with deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Productivity categories are expressed as high or low according to presence/absence and distance to in situ primary production. Stress levels were measured by maximal values of temperature, pH and sulfide categories, as well as by changes in and gradients of temperature.
| Pompeii worm | Tubeworm | Mussel | Proximate basalt | Distant basalt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental characteristics | |||||
| In situ primary production | Present | Present | Present | Absent | Absent |
| Productivity | High | High | High | Low | (Very) low |
| Stress due to hydrothermal activity | High | High–intermediate | Intermediate–low | Absent | Absent |
| Foundation species at studied sites | Alvinella pompejana | Riftia pachyptila | Bathymodiolus thermophilus | None | None |
| Max. temp. (°C) at sites of faunal collection | 14–119 | 32–54 | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| Temp. fluctuations within a few seconds (°C) | 40* | 5 to 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Temperature gradient among foundation species | 14–80* | 40–50 | ~8 | – | – |
| Max. sulfide (μM Σ H2S) | 1520* | 85–283 | 151 | 0 | – |
| Min. pH | 4* | 4.4–5.7 | 6.7 | 8.1 | – |
| Chemical data source | Le Bris & Gaill (2007) | Le Bris et al. (2006) | Le Bris et al. (2006) | Measured by N. Le Bris | |
| Faunal collections | |||||
| Sites | M-Vent, Michel’s Vent, Alvinella Pillar, Bio 9 | Tica, Riftia Field | Eastwall (mussel bed) | Near Tica (~10 m), near Alvinella Pillar | ~1 km west of Tica, outside the AST |
| Collection type | Grab | Bushmaster Jr. | Scoop, mussel pot | Grab | Grab, sediment slurp |
| Same faunal collection meio & macro | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Year of collection | 2004 | 2001 & 2002 | 2002 meio; 1999 macro | 2003 & 2004 | 2006 |
| Number of samples | 5 meio & 5 macro | 6 meio & 6 macro | 3 meio & 6 macro | 4 meio & 4 macro | 3 meio & 3 macro |
| Meiofaunal data source | Gollner et al. (2010) | Gollner et al. (2010) | Gollner et al. (2010) | Gollner et al. (2010) | This study |
| Macrofaunal data source | This study | Govenar et al. (2005) | Van Dover (2003) | This study | This study |
Values marked with * were obtained at comparable Pompeii worm sites by Di Meo-Savoie et al. (2004) and Le Bris & Gaill (2007). (–) not applicable or not measured