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Date of Award
Winter 2025
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Department or Program Affiliation
Biology - Marine and Estuarine Science
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Arellano, Shawn M.
Second Advisor
Beinart, Roxanne
Third Advisor
Bingham, Brian L., 1960-
Fourth Advisor
Love, Brooke
Abstract
Hydrothermal vent ecosystems, characterized by patchy distributions of benthic chemosynthetic communities, rely on larval dispersal for connectivity, colonization, and recovery following tectonic disturbances. Here, we investigated larval communities at varying altitudes above the seafloor at recently disturbed vent fields in the Lau Basin (Tonga) following the 2022 Hunga eruption, which caused a mass mortality of foundation species such as chemosymbiotic molluscs. Larval communities were assessed using 1) AUV Sentry equipped with SyPRID, 2) a McLane Large Volume Water System, and 3) larval settlement tube traps to estimate larval supply to the seafloor. Non-parametric community analysis of larval pools from ash impacted and unimpacted sites showed no significant community differences based on geographic location. Instead, significant community differences were identified between larval communities collected with the larval pump near the seafloor (2 meters above bottom) and with the SyPRID at higher altitudes (8-45 meters above bottom). In addition, larvae overall abundances were greater near the seafloor than higher in the water column, a pattern previously seen at other vent fields. Larval supply to the seafloor varied spatially throughout the vent fields but showed no distinct patterns. This study represents the first identification of larvae from the snail genus Alviniconcha, a key taxon from hydrothermal vents across the western Pacific and Indian oceans. These findings provide a critical baseline for understanding larval community dynamics and recovery potential in the Lau Basin following sedimentation associated with a volcanic disturbance. This research may play an important role in understanding the impacts of proposed deep-sea mining in the area, which has the potential to further disturb these vent fields and restrict recovery. The reproductive health of remaining adult fauna and successful re-colonization will be crucial for the persistence of dominant chemosymbiotic mollusc populations.
Type
Text
Keywords
Hydrothermal vents, larval communities, volcanic eruption
Publisher
Western Washington University
OCLC Number
1506473493
Subject – LCSH
Hydrothermal vents--Tonga; Larvae--Dispersal--Tonga; Volcanic eruptions--Tonga; Benthic ecology--Tonga
Geographic Coverage
Tonga
Format
application/pdf
Genre/Form
masters theses
Language
English
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Recommended Citation
Jimenez, Vanessa, "Larval Communities at Hydrothermal Vents After the 2022 Hunga Eruption" (2025). WWU Graduate School Collection. 1353.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/1353
