Biogeography and Population Divergence of Microeukaryotes Associated with Fluids and Chimneys in the Hydrothermal Vents of the Southwest Indian Ocean

Abstract

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents have been proposed as oases for microbes, but microeukaryotes as key components of the microbial loop have not been well studied. Based on high-throughput sequencing and network analysis of the 18S rRNA gene, population divergence of microeukaryotes, especially clades of parasitic Syndiniales, was observed among different hydrothermal fields.