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- Title
An Epifaunal Community Succession Sequence Driven by the Biogeochemical Footprint With Different Methane Seepage Intensity of the Deep Seafloor.
- Authors
Zhang, Hui; Feng, Jing‐Chun; Shen, Yongming; Zhang, Mingrui; Huang, Yanyan; Li, Pian; Sun, Liwei; Zhang, Si; Yang, Zhifeng
- Abstract
Methane seepage, generated from natural processes or gas hydrate dissociation, drives the development of cold seep ecosystems and leads to atmosphere methane emission, thereby influencing climate change. Uncovering the intrinsic interactions among methane seepage intensities, biogeochemical processes in the sediment, and benthic community characteristics at the seafloor is essential to clarify and predict the ultimate fate of methane leakage from the deep sea. Here, we conducted a systematic investigation of methane intensity, pore fluid migration characteristics, sediment mineral fraction features, and the evolution of biological communities in areas with different methane intensities. Furthermore, analyses of high‐resolution images, pore fluid geochemical feature, and lithologic characteristics of the sediment in the Haima cold seep were also carried out in this study. The results showed that, in areas with different methane intensities, organic matter sulfate reduction and anaerobic oxidation of methane were heterogeneous. The heterogeneity led to the methane transformation zones at different depths, which changed the mineral composition of the sediment and biological communities in the seabed. In addition, a hypothesis of successional sequence of biomes in cold seep was established. This study revealed that the methane seepage intensity was a key factor in determining the biogeochemical process in the sediment of cold seep. The coupling effects of biogeochemical processes and methane seepage intensities dominated the community succession of cold seep. These findings could provide important implications for understanding the dynamic deep marine methane cycle mechanism and the contribution of deep‐sea methane released to climate change. Plain Language Summary: Methane seepage from the sediment to seafloor not only may invoke methane escape into the atmosphere, but also can provide energy and carbon source for the special benthic ecosystem relies on chemosynthesis. To uncover the intrinsic interactions of methane seepage intensity, biogeochemical progress in the sediment, and epifaunal community characteristics at the seafloor, we systematically investigated the intrinsic connections of methane intensity, characteristics of pore fluid migration, metallogenic features of the sediment, and evolution of biological communities. We discovered that organic matter sulfate reduction and anaerobic oxidation of methane were heterogeneous in different methane intensity areas. It is noteworthy that the mineral composition of the sediment and biological communities in seabed vary with the methane seepage intensity. In addition, we proposed a successional sequence of biomes in cold seep according to the ecosystem and geochemical characteristics. This study can give general concepts to better understand the deep‐sea methane cycle and the development of cold seep ecosystem. Key Points: Methane seepage intensity drove biogeochemical reactions and biome succession at the deep seafloorAnaerobic oxidation of methane changed sediment mineral composition and pore fluid profilesSulfur metabolic communities were dominant initially and carbon metabolic communities gradually became the dominant
- Subjects
COLD seeps; BIOTIC communities; GAS hydrates; OCEAN bottom; GAS leakage; COMPOSITION of sediments; ECOLOGICAL impact; COLD adaptation
- Publication
Earth's Future, 2023, Vol 11, Issue 11, p1
- ISSN
2328-4277
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2022EF003373