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Hydrothermal vents sometimes colonized from afar

Deep-sea currents can waft larvae hundreds of kilometers

By Sid Perkins

- More than 2 years ago

PORTLAND, Ore. — Field studies at a hydrothermal vent system where all life was snuffed out by a massive undersea volcanic eruption reveal that these habitats can be repopulated in a matter of months by larvae from distant vents.

AIMLESS DRIFTERS The larvae of species found at hydrothermal vents, such as the limpet Ctenopelta porifera (larva at left, adult at right), can colonize suitable habitats after being carried hundreds of kilometers by seafloor currents.