Looking beyond the vent to the environmental seascapes shaping deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystems
Abstract
To manage and protect marine ecosystems, we first need a spatialised knowledge of the seascape-scale processes surrounding them. However, we lack spatially explicit understanding of how regional processes influence biological patterns in many marine systems. This is especially true of remote marine ecosystems, such as those in the deep sea. Here, we conceptualise potential seascape-scale environmental influences on deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems, guided by experts and literature. We propose environmental characteristics that may shape local biodiversity patterns, such as community structure, habitat availability, and temporal stability. Next, we develop pipelines from data extraction to analysis to improve spatial data accessibility and investigate which variables can be used to draw similarities among vent fields. Finally, we group vents from different regions according to shared environmental characteristics. We show that vents that are spatially isolated and have different species pools can share similar environmental characteristics across ocean basins, including geological, oceanographic, and biological dynamics. We thus illustrate how large-scale environmental data can be used to compare seascape attributes across remote, island-like vent ecosystems. We suggest that looking beyond local scales to consider how seascapes both influence and distinguish different vent systems within a global setting is important for conservation and macroecological contexts.
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BibTeX
@article{chapman2026looking,
title = {{Looking beyond the vent to the environmental seascapes shaping deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystems}},
author = {Abbie S. A. Chapman and Joan M. Alfaro-Lucas and Stace E. Beaulieu and Ana Colaco and Andrey Gebruk and Ivan D. Haigh and Ana Hilario and John W. Jamieson and Terue C. Kihara and Jozee Sarrazin and Verena Tunnicliffe and Amanda E. Bates},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-44060-z},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05854046v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Looking beyond the vent to the environmental seascapes shaping deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystems
AU - Abbie S. A. Chapman
AU - Joan M. Alfaro-Lucas
AU - Stace E. Beaulieu
AU - Ana Colaco
AU - Andrey Gebruk
AU - Ivan D. Haigh
AU - Ana Hilario
AU - John W. Jamieson
AU - Terue C. Kihara
AU - Jozee Sarrazin
AU - Verena Tunnicliffe
AU - Amanda E. Bates
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-44060-z
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05854046v1
AB - To manage and protect marine ecosystems, we first need a spatialised knowledge of the seascape-scale processes surrounding them. However, we lack spatially explicit understanding of how regional processes influence biological patterns in many marine systems. This is especially true of remote marine ecosystems, such as those in the deep sea. Here, we conceptualise potential seascape-scale environmental influences on deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems, guided by experts and literature. We propose environmental characteristics that may shape local biodiversity patterns, such as community structure, habitat availability, and temporal stability. Next, we develop pipelines from data extraction to analysis to improve spatial data accessibility and investigate which variables can be used to draw similarities among vent fields. Finally, we group vents from different regions according to shared environmental characteristics. We show that vents that are spatially isolated and have different species pools can share similar environmental characteristics across ocean basins, including geological, oceanographic, and biological dynamics. We thus illustrate how large-scale environmental data can be used to compare seascape attributes across remote, island-like vent ecosystems. We suggest that looking beyond local scales to consider how seascapes both influence and distinguish different vent systems within a global setting is important for conservation and macroecological contexts.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -