title: Linking regional variation of epibiotic bacterial diversity and trophic ecology in a new species of Kiwaidae (Decapoda, Anomura) from East Scotia Ridge (Antarctica) hydrothermal vents.
abstract: We analyzed the diversity of bacterial epibionts and trophic ecology of a new species of Kiwa yeti crab discovered at two hydrothermal vent fields (E2 and E9) on the East Scotia Ridge (ESR) in the Southern Ocean using a combination of 454 pyrosequencing, Sanger sequencing, and stable isotope analysis. The Kiwa epibiont communities were dominated by Epsilon- and Gammaproteobacteria. About 454 sequencing of the epibionts on 15 individual Kiwa specimen revealed large regional differences between the two hydrothermal vent fields: at E2, the bacterial community on the Kiwa ventral setae was dominated (up to 75%) by Gammaproteobacteria, whereas at E9 Epsilonproteobacteria dominated (up to 98%). Carbon stable isotope analysis of both Kiwa and the bacterial epibionts also showed distinct differences between E2 and E9 in mean and variability. Both stable isotope and sequence data suggest a dominance of different carbon fixation pathways of the epibiont communities at the two vent fields. At E2, epibionts were putatively fixing carbon via the Calvin-Benson-Bassham and reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle, while at E9 the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle dominated. Co-varying epibiont diversity and isotope values at E2 and E9 also present further support for the hypothesis that epibionts serve as a food source for Kiwa.
authors.affiliation: British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zwirglmaier
authors.forename: William D K
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heywood
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Sweeting
authors.forename: Benjamin D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Wigham
authors.forename: Nicholas V C
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Polunin
authors.forename: Jeff A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hawkes
authors.forename: Douglas P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Connelly
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pearce
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Linse
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D033364:Decapoda / Q000382:microbiology*; D020565:Epsilonproteobacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020563:Gammaproteobacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D060086:Hydrothermal Vents / Q000382:microbiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes
keywords: East Scotia Ridge; Kiwa sp.; epibionts; hydrothermal vent; microbial diversity; stable isotopes