The microbial communities associated with the deep sea stalked barnacle

Abstract

Hydrothermal vent fields are an important component of deep-sea vent microbial ecosystems. To understand the ecology, physiology, and function of microbial groups distributed throughout the pelagic deep sea, the hydrothermal vent microbial communities and the processes possess the huge significance in biogeochemistry and the distributions of seafloor hydrothermal vent microbes between vents sites. All animals on Earth form associations with microorganisms, including protists, bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses. In especially deep-sea ocean, marine animal–microbial relationships has not been studied much like as terrestrial animals because the studies about the deep-sea or the hydrothermal vents have been limited due to the requirement for research vessels and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Despite the well-recognized importance of microorganisms in the biogeochemistry of hydrothermal vents and plumes, few studies have characterized microbial communities that inhabit them. The stalked barnacle, Neolepas marisindica from the Central Indian Ridge (CIR) was recently classified as Arthropoda; Crustacea; Hexanauplia; Scalpellomorpha; Eolepadidae; Neolepas and was collected various sites of Indian Ocean Central Ridge to compare its microbiome and plan to be compared with samples of West Pacific seamounts area. These biogeographic differences in bacterial composition may have been due to varying environmental conditions among study locations, or because of host responses to prevailing environmental conditions. This study provided a baseline for future studies of Neolepas marisindica microbiomes, and assessment of functions of host metabolites and N. marisindica holobionts.