Award Abstract # 2152453
Collaborative Research: Life after Death: Do Inactive Sulfides Fuel a Unique Ecosystem at the Deep Seafloor?

NSF Org: OCE
Division Of Ocean Sciences
Recipient: WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
Initial Amendment Date: June 24, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: July 9, 2024
Award Number: 2152453
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Jayne Gardiner
jgardine@nsf.gov
 (703)292-4828
OCE
 Division Of Ocean Sciences
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: July 1, 2022
End Date: June 30, 2026 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $677,777.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $677,777.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2022 = $198,963.00
FY 2023 = $238,370.00

FY 2024 = $240,444.00
History of Investigator:
  • Lauren Mullineaux (Principal Investigator)
    lmullineaux@whoi.edu
  • Stace Beaulieu (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
266 WOODS HOLE RD
WOODS HOLE
MA  US  02543-1535
(508)289-3542
Sponsor Congressional District: 09
Primary Place of Performance: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
266 Woods Hole Road MS #34
Woods Hole
MA  US  02543-1535
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
09
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): GFKFBWG2TV98
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY
Primary Program Source: 01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1319, 8565
Program Element Code(s): 165000
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

This project is investigating a newly discovered community of animals and microbes near deep-sea hydrothermal vents that appears to inhabit only cool, inactive sulfide features. The main objectives are to determine what species live on these features, whether they are new to science, and how they function in the community. The discovery of this novel community, which may be fueled by production of resident microbes, is likely to change the way we think about inactive vents and their contribution to deep-sea biodiversity and productivity. This project has broad impact in four different areas: 1) Informing policy for sustainable use (mining) of inactive sulfides; 2) Contributing to global data systems and the NSF-funded repository at BCO-DMO to make our data available for research use at other temporal, spatial, and taxonomic scales; 3) Increasing public scientific literacy by enhancing K-12 education in the sciences at Memorial Junior High in Eagle Pass TX with about 98% Hispanic and 2% Native American students and a high number of English Language Learners and migrants; and 4) Developing a diverse workforce by engaging students from under-represented and marginalized groups into undergraduate intern programs.

Hydrothermal venting of heated, reduced fluids from the seafloor occurs globally at plate tectonic boundaries and mid-plate hotspots and has been the subject of vigorous geological, chemical and biological research. However, this venting is ultimately transient, leaving behind only the sulfide mineral-rich deposits after the fluid flow stops. This project investigates the organisms living on these lesser studied inactive sulfide features in order to understand their ecology and associations with the mineral substratum. Recent discoveries indicate that some microbial and animal species inhabiting inactive sulfides are not found elsewhere in the marine environment, suggesting the sulfides serve as a unique habitat, distinct from other seafloor topographic features. The main project objectives are to characterize the species and functional diversity of the inactive sulfide ecosystem across all three domains of life (eukaryotic, bacterial, and archaeal), determine which animal species are endemic or predominantly associated with inactive sulfides, and explore the biological and geological characteristics governing those associations. The investigators are conducting field studies between 9-10 degrees N on the East Pacific Rise at sites within the axial summit trough as well as at recently discovered off-axis sites away from modern day venting features. The discovery of this novel community of organisms inhabiting inactive sulfide features at hydrothermal vent fields, fueled by resident chemolithotrophic microorganisms, is likely to change the way we think about the role of these ecosystems in deep-sea biodiversity and productivity.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Chen, Chong and Li, Yunlong and Sun, Jin and Beaulieu, Stace E and Mullineaux, Lauren S "Two new melanodrymiid snails from the East Pacific Rise indicate the potential role of inactive vents as evolutionary stepping-stones" Systematics and Biodiversity , v.22 , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2023.2294014 Citation Details
Gaill, Françoise and Brodie Rudolph, Tanya and Lebleu, Lara and Allemand, Denis and Blasiak, Robert and Cheung, William W. and Claudet, Joachim and Gerhardinger, Leopoldo Cavaleri and Le Bris, Nadine and Levin, Lisa and Pörtner, Hans- Otto and Visbeck, Ma "An evolution towards scientific consensus for a sustainable ocean future" npj Ocean Sustainability , v.1 , 2022 https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-022-00007-1 Citation Details
Meneses, Michael J and Beaulieu, Stace E and Best, Ayinde C and Dykman, Lauren N and Mills, Susan W and Wu, Jyun-Nai and Mullineaux, Lauren S "Vertical distributions of megafauna on inactive vent sulfide features correspond to their feeding modes" Marine Environmental Research , v.200 , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106649 Citation Details
Mullineaux, Lauren S and Beaulieu, Stace E and Mills, Susan W and Jones, Rose and Weston, Johanna_N J and Best, Ayinde C and Zúñiga_Mouret, Rodrigo and Meneses, Michael J and Tivey, Margaret K and Harris, Mikayla J and Achberger, Amanda M and Sylvan, Jaso "Unique gastropods dominate the fauna on inactive vent sulfide features in the eastern Pacific" Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers , v.219 , 2025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2025.104475 Citation Details

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