Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents as Natural Egg-Case Incubators at the Galapagos Rift

Pelayo Salinas-de-Leon; Brennan Phillips; David A. Ebert; Mahmood S Shivji; Florencia Cerutti-Pereyra; Cassandra Ruck; Charles R. Fisher; Leigh Marsh

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-20046-4

Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents as Natural Egg-Case Incubators at the Galapagos Rift

Pelayo Salinas-de-Leon, Brennan Phillips, David A. Ebert, Mahmood S Shivji, Florencia Cerutti-Pereyra, Cassandra Ruck, Charles R. Fisher, Leigh Marsh

Department of Biological Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents in 1977 challenged our views of ecosystem functioning and yet, the research conducted at these extreme and logistically challenging environments still continues to reveal unique biological processes. Here, we report for the first time, a unique behavior where the deep-sea skate, Bathyraja spinosissima , appears to be actively using the elevated temperature of a hydrothermal vent environment to naturally “incubate” developing egg-cases. We hypothesize that this behavior is directly targeted to accelerate embryo development time given that deep-sea skates have some of the longest egg incubation times reported for the animal kingdom. Similar egg incubating behavior, where eggs are incubated in volcanically heated nesting grounds, have been recorded in Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs and the rare avian megapode. To our knowledge, this is the first time incubating behavior using a volcanic source is recorded for the marine environment.

Original language	American English
Article number	1788
Journal	Scientific Reports
Volume	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-20046-4
State	Published - Feb 8 2018

Funding

We are thankful to the Ocean Exploration Trust as well as the pilots and crew aboard the E/V Nautilus during cruise NA064 for their assistance in sample collection and exploration using the Hercules ROV. Thank you to the NOAA Office of Exploration and Research for funding the E/V Nautilus Exploration Program (NA15OAR0110220). Further acknowledgements and thanks go out to the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park Directorate for their collaboration and assistance in the exploration of the Galapagos Platform conducted under research permit No. PC-45-15. We also gratefully recognize the Government of Ecuador via the Ecuadorian Navy for permission to operate in their territorial waters. This research was supported by a grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust and Save Our Seas Foundation (genetics analysis). This is contribution number 2184 from the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Funders	Funder number
E/V Nautilus Exploration Program	NA15OAR0110220
NOAA Office of Exploration and Research
Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

General

Keywords

Behavioural ecology; Biooceanography
Reproduction
Animals
Hydrothermal Vents
Skates, Fish/physiology
Ecosystem
Pacific Ocean
Hot Temperature
Incubators
Eggs

Disciplines

Biology
Life Sciences

Access to Document

10.1038/s41598-018-20046-4

Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents as Natural Egg-Case Incubators at theFinal published version, 2.09 MBLicense: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents as Natural Egg-Case Incubators at the Galapagos Rift",

abstract = " The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents in 1977 challenged our views of ecosystem functioning and yet, the research conducted at these extreme and logistically challenging environments still continues to reveal unique biological processes. Here, we report for the first time, a unique behavior where the deep-sea skate, Bathyraja spinosissima , appears to be actively using the elevated temperature of a hydrothermal vent environment to naturally “incubate” developing egg-cases. We hypothesize that this behavior is directly targeted to accelerate embryo development time given that deep-sea skates have some of the longest egg incubation times reported for the animal kingdom. Similar egg incubating behavior, where eggs are incubated in volcanically heated nesting grounds, have been recorded in Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs and the rare avian megapode. To our knowledge, this is the first time incubating behavior using a volcanic source is recorded for the marine environment.",

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N2 - The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents in 1977 challenged our views of ecosystem functioning and yet, the research conducted at these extreme and logistically challenging environments still continues to reveal unique biological processes. Here, we report for the first time, a unique behavior where the deep-sea skate, Bathyraja spinosissima , appears to be actively using the elevated temperature of a hydrothermal vent environment to naturally “incubate” developing egg-cases. We hypothesize that this behavior is directly targeted to accelerate embryo development time given that deep-sea skates have some of the longest egg incubation times reported for the animal kingdom. Similar egg incubating behavior, where eggs are incubated in volcanically heated nesting grounds, have been recorded in Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs and the rare avian megapode. To our knowledge, this is the first time incubating behavior using a volcanic source is recorded for the marine environment.

AB - The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents in 1977 challenged our views of ecosystem functioning and yet, the research conducted at these extreme and logistically challenging environments still continues to reveal unique biological processes. Here, we report for the first time, a unique behavior where the deep-sea skate, Bathyraja spinosissima , appears to be actively using the elevated temperature of a hydrothermal vent environment to naturally “incubate” developing egg-cases. We hypothesize that this behavior is directly targeted to accelerate embryo development time given that deep-sea skates have some of the longest egg incubation times reported for the animal kingdom. Similar egg incubating behavior, where eggs are incubated in volcanically heated nesting grounds, have been recorded in Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs and the rare avian megapode. To our knowledge, this is the first time incubating behavior using a volcanic source is recorded for the marine environment.

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Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents as Natural Egg-Case Incubators at the Galapagos Rift

Abstract

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Keywords

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