[Free diaminopimelic acid of symbiotic bivalves]. / Acide diaminopimélique libre des bivalves symbiotiques.

Free amino acids were analyzed in tissues of symbiotic bivalves from hydrothermal vent sites at Galapagos rift, and cold-seeps in Japan trench and Barbados subduction area. Diaminopimelic acid (a fragment of the bacterial cell wall mureid complex) is, in some cases, one of the most abundant compounds. It's presence in the tissues of the bivalves is related to exchanges between host and symbionts. Diaminopimelate concentration differences among species may correspond to both taxonomic bacterial differences and different carbon translocation processes from bacteria to host. Variation among individuals may correspond to fluctuation of micro-environmental conditions.

East Pacific Rise Near 13{degrees}N: Geology of New Hydrothermal Fields.

Abundant massive sulfide deposits are present at the crest of the East Pacific Rise near 13 degrees North, where the opening rate is about 12 centimeters per year. Large manganese and helium-3 anomalies in seawater samples, evidence of intense present-day activity of hydrothermal springs, indicate that sulfides are still being produced along this segment of the rise. Massive sulfides also occur on adjacent off-axis seamounts.