Although initially viewed as oases within a barren deep ocean, hydrothermal vents and
methane seep chemosynthetic communities are now recognized to interact with surrounding …

Mitochondrial genes have been used extensively in population genetic and
phylogeographical analyses, in part due to a high rate of nucleotide substitution in animal …

Whales are the giants of the ocean, with the eight largest cetacean species attaining body
weights of 30 t to 160 t (Lockyer 1976). A sunken whale carcass provides a massive food fall …

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps are submarine springs where nutrient-rich
fluids emanate from the sea floor. Vent and seep ecosystems occur in a variety of geological …

Whale falls produce remarkable organic-and sulfide-rich habitat islands at the seafloor. The
past decade has seen a dramatic increase in studies of modern and fossil whale remains …

Anthropogenic disturbances such as fishing, mining, oil drilling, bioprospecting, warming,
and acidification in the deep sea are increasing, yet generalities about deep-sea …

Deep‐sea hydrothermal vents provide ephemeral habitats for animal communities that
depend on chemosynthetic primary production. Sporadic volcanic and tectonic events …

Since their discovery in 1977, hydrothermal vent communities have provided many surprises
about life in the deep sea and in extreme environments. It has been suggested that vent …

Large organic food falls to the deep sea–such as whale carcasses and wood logs–are
known to serve as step** stones for the dispersal of highly adapted chemosynthetic …

Adaptive radiations present fascinating opportunities for studying the evolutionary process.
Most cases come from isolated lakes or islands, where unoccupied ecological space is filled …