THE more seismic activity there is on the sea floor, the more species cluster
around the hydrothermal vents that the activity produces. These fields of vents
could one day help ecologists understand why some environments support greater
biodiversity than others.
Hydrothermal vents shoot water, heated by hot or molten rock and carrying
minerals and hydrogen sulphide, into the cold ocean depths. The warmth and
nutrients create isolated communities of giant tube worms, vent mussels and
other animals.
Cindy Van Dover of the College of William and Mary in Virginia wondered if
more densely packed vents might create greater species diversity,…
