Productivity and environmental stress are major drivers of multiple biodiversity facets and faunal community structure. Little is known on their interacting effects on early community assembly processes in the deep sea (>200 m), the largest environment on Earth. However, at hydrothermal vents productivity correlates, at least partially, with environmental stress. Here, we studied the colonization of rock substrata deployed along a deep-sea hydrothermal vent gradient at four sites with and without direct influence of vent fluids at 1700 m depth in the Lucky Strike vent field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, MAR). We examined in detail the composition of faunal communities (>20 µm) established after two years and evaluated species and functional patterns. We expected the stressful hydrothermal activity to (1) limit functional diversity and (2) filter for traits clustering functionally similar species. However, our observations did not support our hypotheses. On the contrary, our results show that hydrothermal activity enhanced functional diversity. Moreover, despite high species diversity, environmental conditions at surrounding sites appear to filter for specific traits, thereby reducing functional richness. In fact, diversity in ecological functions may relax the effect of competition allowing several species to coexist in high densities in the reduced space of the highly-productive vent habitats under direct fluid emissions. We suggest that the high productivity at fluid-influenced sites supports higher functional diversity and traits that are more energetically expensive. The presence of exclusive species and functional entities led to a high turnover between surrounding sites. As a result, some of these sites contributed more than expected to the total species and functional β-diversities. The observed faunal overlap and energy links (exported productivity) suggest that rather than operating as separate entities, habitats with and without influence of hydrothermal fluids may be considered as interconnected entities. Low functional richness and environmental filtering suggests that surrounding areas, with their very heterogeneous species and functional assemblages, may be especially vulnerable to environmental changes related to natural and anthropogenic impacts, including deep-sea mining.

中文翻译：

---

高环境压力和生产力增加沿深海热液喷口梯度的功能多样性

生产力和环境压力是多种生物多样性方面和动物群落结构的主要驱动因素。关于它们对地球上最大环境深海（> 200 m）中早期群落组装过程的相互作用影响知之甚少。然而，在热液喷口，生产力至少部分地与环境压力相关。在这里，我们研究了沿深海热液喷口梯度部署的岩石基质在 Lucky Strike 喷口场（3 月大西洋中脊）中 1700 m 深度有和没有喷口流体直接影响的四个地点的殖民化。我们详细检查了两年后建立的动物群落 (>20 µm) 的组成，并评估了物种和功能模式。我们预计压力热液活动将 (1) 限制功能多样性和 (2) 过滤功能相似物种的特征聚类。然而，我们的观察并不支持我们的假设。相反，我们的结果表明热液活动增强了功能多样性。此外，尽管物种多样性很高，但周围地点的环境条件似乎会过滤特定性状，从而降低功能丰富度。事实上，生态功能的多样性可能会缓和竞争的影响，允许几种物种在直接流体排放的高生产力通风口栖息地的缩小空间中以高密度共存。我们认为受流体影响的地点的高生产力支持更高的功能多样性和更耗能的特性。独特物种和功能实体的存在导致周围地点之间的高周转。因此，其中一些位点对总物种和功能 β 多样性的贡献超过预期。观察到的动物群重叠和能源联系（输出生产力）表明，受热液影响和不受热液影响的栖息地可以被视为相互关联的实体，而不是作为独立的实体运作。低功能丰富度和环境过滤表明，周边地区的物种和功能组合非常多样化，可能特别容易受到与自然和人为影响（包括深海采矿）相关的环境变化的影响。其中一些站点对总物种和功能性 β 多样性的贡献超过预期。观察到的动物群重叠和能源联系（输出生产力）表明，受热液影响和不受热液影响的栖息地可以被视为相互关联的实体，而不是作为独立的实体运作。低功能丰富度和环境过滤表明，周边地区的物种和功能组合非常多样化，可能特别容易受到与自然和人为影响（包括深海采矿）相关的环境变化的影响。其中一些站点对总物种和功能性 β 多样性的贡献超过预期。观察到的动物群重叠和能源联系（输出生产力）表明，受热液影响和不受热液影响的栖息地可以被视为相互关联的实体，而不是作为独立的实体运作。低功能丰富度和环境过滤表明，周边地区的物种和功能组合非常多样化，可能特别容易受到与自然和人为影响（包括深海采矿）相关的环境变化的影响。受热液影响和不受热液影响的栖息地可被视为相互关联的实体。低功能丰富度和环境过滤表明，周边地区的物种和功能组合非常多样化，可能特别容易受到与自然和人为影响（包括深海采矿）相关的环境变化的影响。受热液影响和不受热液影响的栖息地可被视为相互关联的实体。低功能丰富度和环境过滤表明，周边地区的物种和功能组合非常多样化，可能特别容易受到与自然和人为影响（包括深海采矿）相关的环境变化的影响。