Faunal colonization at hydrothermal vents responds to microbial biofilms
This study explores fundamental ecological questions regarding colonization of animal communities and the role of microbial biofilms in controlling these processes at deepsea hydrothermal vents. Faunal colonists were dominated by immigrants from the surrounding area likely taking advantage of open space and food resources while biofilms were dominated by putative chemoautotrophic members of the Campylobacterota and Gammaproteobacteria class.