Many of the prokaryotic organisms are believed to be chemolithotrophic. This means they are capable of capturing energy from inorganic chemicals in organic molecules. Viruses have recently been identified as being important components of the marine microbial community. By infecting different prokaryotic and eukaryotic species, viruses are able to affect the community structure in the plankton. Although almost no work has been done on viruses at hydrothermal vents, it is known that viruses are present at very high numbers.
Nothing is known about the impact of viruses on microbial vent communities.
Using manganese as a tracer of hydrothermal vent fluids, I hope to be able to elucidate some of the processes at work in this ecosystem. To do this I will use a combination of epifluorescent and transmission electron microscopy to determine concentrations of prokaryotic cells and virus-like particles. The collection site is on the East Pacific Rise, an area well known for high levels of hydrothermal activity. It is now apparent that viruses play an important role in the ecology of marine microorganisms and therefore, in all marine food webs. Previous studies have demonstrated that viruses cause a significant fraction of total marine microorganism mortality.