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A persistent subtropical dip in the diversity at deep-sea cold-seeps
1Swedish Museum of Natural History , Sweden.
Biology Letters
|July 21, 2026
Summary
Deep sea methane seep mollusc diversity shows no latitudinal gradient, but a persistent diversity dip between 15-35° latitude is linked to oxygen minimum zones.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Paleontology
- Oceanography
Background:
- Deep sea ecosystems, such as methane seeps, rely on local food sources.
- Mollusc diversity in these environments is generally not expected to vary with latitude.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate latitudinal diversity patterns of deep sea seep molluscs.
- To determine the historical persistence of observed diversity patterns.
- To identify environmental factors influencing mollusc diversity at methane seeps.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 478 modern and 824 fossil occurrences of seep molluscs.
- Comparison of diversity patterns with geological and oceanographic data, including oxygen minimum zones.
- Examination of data spanning from the Cretaceous to the Pleistocene.
Main Results:
- Seep mollusc diversity generally lacks latitudinal gradients.
- A consistent dip in diversity between 15-35° latitude was observed from the Oligocene onwards.
- This diversity dip correlates with the distribution of oxygen minimum zones, indicating oxygen limitation.
Conclusions:
- Oxygen limitation is a significant driver of diversity patterns in deep sea methane seep molluscs.
- The observed diversity patterns have persisted for millions of years.
- Oxygen availability may explain the limited occurrence of seep faunas in the early Paleozoic.
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