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Unusual Habitats and Organisms Associated with the Cold Seeps of the Gulf of Mexico

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Book cover The Vent and Seep Biota

Part of the book series: Topics in Geobiology ((TGBI,volume 33))

Abstract

The Gulf of Mexico cold seep ecosystem stands out as one of the most complex but also one the most well-understood seep systems in the world. Geological, biogeochemical, physiological, and ecological studies have provided a comprehensive and well-rounded view of this system since the first seeps of the Gulf were discovered in the mid-1980s. However, even in this well known and broadly explored system, new ­discoveries continue to be made. The use of the ­latest submersible and remote ­sensing technologies in deep water has resulted in the exploration of new sites and habitat types in recent years. Continuing advances in genetic approaches to biogeography and ­population ­connectivity are providing us with a more detailed look at some of the ­relationships of typical seep fauna. This chapter describes the geology of the Gulf of Mexico including the anomalous ­geological features of the brine pools, asphalt flows, and barite chimneys at some sites, followed by an examination of recent work on the vestimentiferan ­tubeworms, bathymodiolin mussels, and other associated fauna. We hope to describe how the extensive work in this system may inform our theoretical models of the seep ­ecosystem in the Atlantic and around the world.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Temple University, 1900 N 12th St, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA

    Erik E. Cordes

  2. Station Biologique de Roscoff, CNRS-UPMC, Roscoff, France

    Stéphane Hourdez

  3. Coastal Studies Institute, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Harry H. Roberts

Authors
  1. Erik E. Cordes
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  2. Stéphane Hourdez
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  3. Harry H. Roberts
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Correspondence to Erik E. Cordes .

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  1. , Institut für Geowissenschaften, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Ludewig-Meyn-Str. 10, Kiel, 24118, Germany

    Steffen Kiel

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Cordes, E.E., Hourdez, S., Roberts, H.H. (2010). Unusual Habitats and Organisms Associated with the Cold Seeps of the Gulf of Mexico. In: Kiel, S. (eds) The Vent and Seep Biota. Topics in Geobiology, vol 33. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9572-5_10

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