Using a robot, an international team of oceanologists led by the American Schmidt Ocean Institute has found an ecosystem in volcanic cavities previously unknown to science, beneath the hydrothermal vents of the Eastern Pacific (off the coast of Central America). informs The news portal Phys.org with a link to the institute’s press service.
Scientists have discovered tunnel systems in which tubeworms, mollusks and bacteria live. Researchers knew that worms lived in hydrothermal vents, but biologists found little habitat at the bottom. Experts now believe they can live in the bottom passages.
“This discovery has significantly expanded our understanding of where and how life is found near deep-sea hydrothermal vents. It turns out that there are two types of ecosystems in their environment, one hidden above these objects and the other beneath them,” he said.
It is known that when a new hydrothermal vent appears, animals colonize the area for several years and the ecosystem develops relatively quickly. How the larvae of the worms find the new ventilation areas is still unknown to scientists.
ancient scientists establishedthat human activity has changed the color of the oceans.