ORIGINAL RESEARCH Linking regional variation of epibiotic bacterial diversity and trophic ecology in a new species of Kiwaidae (Decapoda, Anomura) from East Scotia Ridge (Antarctica) hydrothermal vents Katrin Zwirglmaier1,*, William D. K. Reid2,†, Jane Heywood1,‡, Christopher J. Sweeting2, § Benjamin D. Wigham3, Nicholas V. C. Polunin2, Jeff A. Hawkes4, , Douglas P. Connelly4, David Pearce1,5,6 & Katrin Linse1 1British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, United Kingdom 2School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU, United Kingdom 3Dove Marine Laboratory, School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, Cullercoats NE30 4PZ, United Kingdom 4National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom 5Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Northumbria, Ellison Building, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, United Kingdom 6University Centre in Svalbard, P.O. Box 156, N-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway Keywords Abstract East Scotia Ridge, epibionts, hydrothermal vent, Kiwa sp., microbial diversity, stable We analyzed the diversity of bacterial epibionts and trophic ecology of a new isotopes. species of Kiwa yeti crab discovered at two hydrothermal vent fields (E2 and E9) on the East Scotia Ridge (ESR) in the Southern Ocean using a combination Correspondence of 454 pyrosequencing, Sanger sequencing, and stable isotope analysis. The Katrin Zwirglmaier, British Antarctic Survey, Kiwa epibiont communities were dominated by Epsilon- and Gammaproteobac- High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge teria. About 454 sequencing of the epibionts on 15 individual Kiwa specimen CB3 0ET, United Kingdom. Tel: +49 (0)8856 revealed large regional differences between the two hydrothermal vent fields: at 81025; Fax: +49 (0)8856 81040; E-mail:
[email protected] E2, the bacterial community on the Kiwa ventral setae was dominated (up to 75%) by Gammaproteobacteria, whereas at E9 Epsilonproteobacteria dominated (up to 98%).