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Deep-sea hydrothermal vent parasites: why do we not find more?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2004

I. de BURON
Affiliation:
College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina 29401, USA
S. MORAND
Affiliation:
CBGP (Centre de Biologie et de Gestion des Populations) Campus International de Baillarguet, 34988 Montferrier sur Lez, France

Abstract

While parasitism is recognized as the most common mode of existence on the planet, and hosts from virtually all ecosystems have been studied, very little is known about the parasites found in deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems and even less is known about their ecology, evolution, and effects on their hosts. The purpose of this work is to offer a comprehensive review of our state of knowledge about parasitism in the deep-sea vents and to pose and address specific questions for future studies. Because the deep-sea environment itself may influence the number and types of parasites found in the vents, non-vent (below 1000 m) and vent deep-sea data were used in a comparative analysis to account for this factor as a potential major determinant of the parasite fauna in the vents. Based upon analysis of these data, it is highly likely that the reason why so few parasites are currently known from deep-sea vents, even given the low diversity of hosts in this ecosystem, is simply that their inconspicuous nature has caused them to be overlooked by vent biologists.

Type
Review Article
Copyright
2004 Cambridge University Press

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