Biological Science Onboard Atlantis II

What is the biology of the Edmond Vent Site?

The Edmond Vent System is home to a variety of very distinct creatures. Because of the extreme depth, darkness, and pressure, ordinary marine species do not reside in the abyssal environment. Those critters that do live in the mysterious fathoms below have made intriguing adaptations to the ecosystem around them. Perhaps the most well known inhabitant of the hydrothermal vent environment is the tubeworm. Reaching lengths of up to two meters, they dwarf the tubeworms living near the surface. They are intriguing animals. Having neither a mouth nor a stomach, they depend on the symbiotic bacteria living within them to make sugars from the vent excretions. Tubeworms are usually the first inhabitants in a new vent community. The shrimp that live around the Edmond Vent system feed on microbes that reside in and near the hydrothermal vents. They gather in huge groups to feed on the microbes and also mussels. Crabs living near hydrothermal vents aren't similar to the crabs found near the surface. They are colorless and small and live around the mussels and feed on them, bacteria, tubeworms, and each other. Mussels live around the hydrothermal vents. They capitalize, like the tubeworm, on the sugar produced by microbes living in their gills for energy. Some of the most interesting creatures living in the Edmond Vent are the smallest. Microbes of multiple species reside in the vents. They live on all surfaces down there, and can also live in the water column. The microbes are chemo-autotrophic which means they harvest energy from the chemicals coming from the vents. They metabolize hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and even iron. They turn these substances into sugar and carbon dioxide. The thermophilic bacteria have enzymes that function at extremely high temperatures and pressures. Archaea are a relatively newly discovered inhabitant of the vents. Archaea are simple cells that don't have nuclei. They resemble microbes somewhat, but are mysteriously different. Their genetic makeup is unlike that of any creature we have seen to date. We don't know too much about archaea and so of course we yearn to know more! Perhaps the secrets from the strange species at the bottom of the ocean can help us to understand our own existence on the surface of the earth.

• Understand the biological processes that formed and continue to mold the Edmond Vent System.

• Understand the ecosystem at the Edmond Vent Site. Determine energy flow and the relationships between species, with special emphasis on dependent symbiosis.

• Investigate the origin and nature of Archaea using physiological and genetic analysis, for use in evolutionary studies.

• Determine the existence of a subsurface biosphere. If present, determine the organisms present and their relationship to the surface organisms of the vent system.

• Understand the mechanisms by which vent organisms thrive in the hostile environment of the vent system, with special emphasis placed on high-temperature protein stability in thermophilic bacteria.

• Develop the discoveries made into viable applications, including biodegradation and medical protein usage.

Where is there more detailed information about the biology onboard Atlantis II?

• For information on the specific experiments to be carried out in the first six months on Atlantis II, visit the Experimental Timeline

• To view the design of the biology lab onboard Atlantis II, visit the Lab Design.

• To see the robots that will carry out experiments at the Edmond Vent Site, go to Robotics.