The geological origins of cold seeps differ from hydrothermal vents. While vents form from volcanic activity at sea-floor spreading regions, cold seeps instead arise at the other end of oceanic plates, where they are subducted at the continental margin. Their formation begins with the burial of organic material under sediments on the sea-floor. These organic compounds degrade over time, producing methane. Over time, geological processes such as the tectonic compression of sediments at subduction zones forces the methane from deep reservoirs up through the overlying sediments. Anaerobic microbes dwelling below the sediment surface oxidise this methane using sulphate, producing hydrogen sulphide and bicarbonate ions as a byproduct. This hydrogen sulphide, along with any residual methane, then serves as a vital energy source for **chemosynthetic** microbes. Thus, it is a consortium of two distinct sets of microbes that makes primary productivity possible at cold seeps and lay the foundations of food webs here. The result is an environment remarkably similar to hydrothermal vents. We have a flux of sulphide and methane at the sea-floor, chemosynthetic microbes using these compounds, and an abundance of life exploiting this primary productivity, fulfilling similar ecological niches and forming biodiversity hotspots in the deep sea.
Part 1 – Hydrothermal Vents: https://youtu.be/ECBbAjoEHWI
Part 3 – Wood-falls and Food-falls: https://youtu.be/rLGOtKHy06o
00:00 – An Introduction to Cold Seeps
01:57 – Cold Seep Origins – Formation
03:28 – Cold Seep Origins – Seep Biodiversity
04:28 – Life at Cold Seeps – Bathymodiolus Mussels
05:02 – Life at Cold Seeps – Grazing Organisms
05:23 – Life at Cold Seeps – Siboglinid Tube Worms
07:13 – Life at Cold Seeps – Yeti Crabs
07:50 – Life at Cold Seeps – Predatory Organisms
08:20 – Life at Cold Seeps – The Benthic Filter
09:05 – Seep Varieties – Overview
09:47 – Seep Varieties – Mud Volcanoes
10:44 – Seep Varieties – Methane Hydrate Beds
12:57 – Seep Varieties – Asphalt Seeps
14:08 – Seep Varieties – Tar Lilies
15:47 – Seep Varieties – Brine Pools
17:29 – Ecological Succession – Carbonate Reefs
19:10 – Succession Stage I – Microbial Mats and Mussel Beds
19:50 – Succession Stage II – Tube Worm Bushes
20:02 – Succession Stage III – Carbonate Blockage
20:37 – Successional Stage IV – Coral Gardens
21:15 – Conclusion
CHECK OUT MY DEEP SEA WEBSITE: https://naturalworldfacts.com/deep-sea-hub/
Written, Narrated and Edited by Leo Richards
Seep Animation custom made by Fabio Albertelli and Jakub Misiek
I do not own any of the footage. I write the script, narrate, and edit what footage I can find, which is allowed due to YouTube’s ‘Fair Use’ policy as these films are transformative and for educational purposes. Footage used belongs to the incredible marine conservation societies of Schmidt Ocean Institute, MBARI, WHOI and the Ocean Exploration Institute, along with various other YouTube sources. Most footage is used with explicit permission of the copyright owner. In cases where I cannot contact the owner or have not received a reply, I use certain clips in accordance with the Fair Use policy.
Music Used:
Ascend (reworked) by Christopher Galovan
Their Souls by Piotr Hummel
Mysa by Laurel Violet
Folklore by Ardie Son
Stories from the Sky by Sid Acharya
Nocturnal by LEMMINO
In Love with Emi by Fabien Fustinoni
Corals Under the Sun by Yehezkel Raz
Landing on the Ground by Yehezkel Raz
#deepsea #wildlife #nature #documentary #ocean #marinebiology #science #biology
Bibliography:
Cordes, E.E., Bergquist, D.C. and Fisher, C.R., 2009. Macro-ecology of Gulf of Mexico cold seeps. Annual Review of Marine Science, 1, pp.143-168.
FiShER, C., Roberts, H., Cordes, E. and Bernard, B., 2007. Cold seeps and associated communities of the Gulf of Mexico. Oceanography, 20(4), pp.118-129.
Sasaki, T., Warén, A., Kano, Y., Okutani, T. and Fujikura, K., 2010. Gastropods from recent hot vents and cold seeps: systematics, diversity and life strategies. The vent and seep biota, pp.169-254.
Suess, E., 2020. Marine cold seeps: background and recent advances. Hydrocarbons, Oils and Lipids: Diversity, Origin, Chemistry and Fate, pp.747-767.