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First published online August 30, 2006
Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 3516-3528 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02404

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Metabolite uptake, stoichiometry and chemoautotrophic function of the hydrothermal vent tubeworm Riftia pachyptila: responses to environmental variations in substrate concentrations and temperature

Peter R. Girguis^1,* and James J. Childress²

¹ Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Biological labs room 3085, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
² University of California Santa Barbara, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA

View larger version (17K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. (A) Plot of H2S uptake (µmol g-1 h-1) as a function of H2S (µmol l-1) by Riftia pachyptila maintained in high-pressure aquaria at pH 5.66. (B) Plot of H2S uptake (µmol g-1 h-1) as a function of HS- (µmol l-1) by Riftia pachyptila maintained in high-pressure aquaria at pH 7.48. All other substrates were held at `typical' concentrations (see Materials and methods). All rates are expressed in terms of wet mass.

View larger version (25K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. (A) O2 and H2S and (B) CO2 uptake rates (µmol g-1 h-1); (C) proton elimination rates (µequivalents g-1 h-1), by Riftia pachyptila as a function of seawater H2S (µmol l-1). The large arrow indicates that point at which H2S was eliminated from the aquarium seawater. pH was maintained at 6.1 and all other substrates were held at `typical' concentrations (see Materials and methods). All rates are expressed in terms of wet mass.

View larger version (30K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. (A) O2, (B) H2S and (C) CO2 uptake rates (µmol g-1 h-1); (D) proton elimination rates (µequivalents g-1 h-1), by Riftia pachyptila as a function of O2 concentration (mmol l-1). pH was maintained at 6.1 and all other substrates were held at `typical' concentrations (see Materials and methods). All rates are expressed in terms of wet mass.

View larger version (11K): [in a new window]   Fig. 4. (A) O2 uptake:H2S uptake ratio as a function of H2S concentration (µmol l-1) by two Riftia pachyptila weighing between 12.2 and 17 g each. (B) O2 uptake:H2S uptake ratio as a function of O2 concentration (µmol l-1) by two Riftia pachyptila weighing between 9.1 and 13.6 g each. Oxygen uptake rates used to calculate the above ratios have been corrected for heterotrophic contribution (determined from Riftia respiration rates prior to autotrophy). pH was maintained at 6.1 and all other substrates were held at `typical' concentrations (see Materials and methods). All rates were calculated using wet mass.

View larger version (23K): [in a new window]   Fig. 5. (A) CO2 uptake rate (µmol g-1 h-1) as a function of CO2 concentration (mmol l-1) by Riftia pachyptila maintained in high-pressure aquaria at pH 5.9. (B) CO2 uptake rate (µmol g-1 h-1) as a function of HCO3 concentration (mmol l-1) by Riftia pachyptila maintained in high-pressure aquaria at pH 6.6. All other substrates were held at `typical' concentrations (see Materials and methods). All rates are expressed in terms of wet mass.

View larger version (15K): [in a new window]   Fig. 6. Riftia pachyptila (A) CO2, (B) H2S and (C) O2 uptake rates (µmol g-1 h-1) as a function of temperature (°C). The above data represent the results of two separate experiments (5 to 20°C experiment during the HOT 96 expedition, and a 20 to 35°C experiment during the HOT 98 experiment; Data from the HOT 96 expedition are in boldface). Values are means ± s.e.m. (N=4). During these experiments, pH was maintained at 6.0 and all other substrates were held at `typical' concentrations (see Materials and methods).

View larger version (66K): [in a new window]   Fig. 7. CO2 uptake rates (µmol g-1 h-1) as a function of O2 uptake (µmol g-1 h-1) and H2S uptake rates (µmol g-1 h-1) by Riftia pachyptila. Four Riftia pachyptila were placed in high-pressure aquaria, maintained until autotrophy, then O2 and H2S concentrations were alternately increased from 27 to 130 µmol l-1 and 0 to 140 µmol l-1, respectively. All other substrates were held at `typical' in situ concentrations (see Materials and methods). All rates are expressed in terms of wet mass. Env., environmental.