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Carbon-13 Depletion in a Hydrothermal Vent Mussel: Suggestion of a Chemosynthetic Food Source

1979; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Volume: 203; Issue: 4381 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1126/science.203.4381.648

1095-9203

Greg H. Rau, John I. Hedges,

Marine Biology and Ecology Research

Tissues of a mytilid mussel from the Clambake I hydrothermal vent in the Galápagos Rift zone are strikingly depleted in carbon-13 relative to the tissues of other marine organisms. The stable carbon isotope composition of this mussel suggests that chemoautotrophic bacteria present in the hydrothermal waters are a major food source for filter-feeding organisms in this abyssal environment.