报告主题：南海冷泉区的动物：多样性，遗传联通性，及基因组学

主讲人：邱建文教授（香港浸会大学）

主持人：李猛教授、张锐教授

时间：2025年2月28日周五10：00

地点：深圳大学致知楼706

嘉宾简介：

邱建文教授研究方向包括入侵种生态学、深海生物多样性、遗传连通性和基因组水平对极端环境条件的适应性、以及浅海底栖动物和珊瑚礁生态学。近二十年来围绕大湾区生物入侵种、近海珊瑚生态系统以及南海深海热液与冷泉生态系统开展了系统的研究工作，共发表了约250篇学术论文，其中多篇发表于其专业的顶级国际刊物。邱建文热心社会服务，担任香港政府海岸公园委员会主席、香港政府环境咨询委员会委员、世界野生动物基金会（香港）米浦自然保护区管理委员会委员、香港海洋公园保育基金项目审批委员会委员、以及香港生物多样性保护计划起草委员会成员。

报告摘要：

Cold seeps are unique areas on the ocean floor where fluids, often rich in methane and hydrogen sulfide, seep slowly from the subsurface, typically from geological formations like sedimentary basins. Unlike hydrothermal vents, cold seeps are not associated with volcanic activity and are generally characterised by lower temperatures. These environments support diverse biological communities, including chemosynthetic bacteria that utilise the chemicals in the seepage to produce energy. These bacteria form the base of the food web, sustaining various organisms such as clams, shrimp, and other marine life that depend on the nutrients provided by the seep. Over the past four decades since their discovery, more than 900 cold seeps have been identified worldwide. However, relatively little is known about the cold seeps in the South China Sea (SCS), particularly regarding the diversity of fauna, their genetic connectivity, biogeography, and adaptations to cold, dark, and high-pressure environments.

In this seminar, Prof. Qiu will discuss research efforts aimed at addressing these knowledge gaps over the last two decades. Through studies of three active cold seeps, Prof. Qiu and his collaborators have discovered a new genus and nine new species. They have mapped the distribution and abundance of macrofauna in one of the cold seeps and revealed significant differences in macrofauna composition between the western and eastern SCS. Notably, they found a higher resemblance in macrofaunal communities between cold seeps in the SCS and those in the Indian Ocean, in contrast to hydrothermal vents in the Okinawa Trough and Manus Basin. Additionally, their population genomic studies and physical ocean modelling have uncovered remarkable differences in gene flow among four species—a mussel, a shrimp, a limpet, and a squat lobster—with overlapping distribution ranges, indicating that reproductive traits influence their larval dispersal. Furthermore, by assembling the genomes of tubeworms, vesicomyid clams, glass scallops, and mussels, along with their chemosynthetic bacteria, they have revealed a diverse array of symbiotic associations that enable these organisms to thrive in various cold-seep microhabitats.

Join us to learn more about these fascinating ecosystems and the ongoing research that has expanded our understanding of cold seeps in the South China Sea.