【IC-DIL Webinar】From the winners of "Deep Life Paper” and "SiYuan-Ocean Emerging Leader" Awards in 2024

发布时间：2025-12-15 阅读次数：44

Time: Dec 16, 2025 09:00 PM Beijing Time
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https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86100686766?pwd=RiBKNixXmvuaQNU8CJBX52SdmvwH4Z.1

Meeting ID: 861 0068 6766
Passcode: 902866

Speaker：Dr. Sabine Gollner, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ)

Title: Discovery of animal life in the shallow subseafloor crust at deep-sea hydrothermal vents

Abstract: Deep-sea vent animals typically disperse as larvae through ocean currents, but larvae of the giant tubeworm Riftia pachyptila have never been seen in the water column. During an expedition to 9°50’N on the East Pacific Rise, drilling into lobate lava revealed vent fluid-filled subseafloor cavities hosting adult tubeworms and diverse vent fauna. These findings extend known vent habitats below the seafloor and suggest a subseafloor connectivity model in which larvae may be entrained into the shallow crust and recruit in discharge areas. Whilst the extent of this hidden habitat is currently unmapped, it underscores the need for precautionary protection amid potential future deep-sea mining impacts.

Speaker：Dr. Zhichao Zhou, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University

Title: Deep-sea hydrothermal microorganisms drive element cycling

Abstract:The deep-sea hydrothermal system provides unique energy and elemental cycling conditions. We investigate how bacterial, archaeal, and viral communities drive carbon and sulfur cycling and adapt to hydrothermal environments. We identify a new γ-proteobacterial pathway for methanethiol oxidation and reveal a “mixotrophy–functional redundancy–metabolic handoff” carbon metabolism model in sedimentary archaea. By integrating metagenomics with geochemical thermodynamics, we clarify microbial mechanisms supporting sulfur oxidation in hydrothermal plumes and estimate bacteriophage energy contributions (320 J/kg, ~8%). Our findings advance understanding of key microbial processes and environmental impacts in hydrothermal ecosystems.