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Participant
Interview:
Jean Marcus
Graduate Student in Biology
University of Victoria
Jeff: What research are
you conducting at Axial Volcano?
Jean: I want to get a general picture of what low temperature tubeworm
assemblages look like at Axial Volcano and observe how the 1998 eruption
assemblages are changing. To do this, I have two study sites. One is at
a vent field called Ashes. The other is vents at the 1998 Axial eruption.
Ashes has been consistently
venting for at least 15 years so it's considered a stable vent field.
I'm investigating if the species in the tubeworm assemblages at Ashes
are distributed in a patterned way. If so, they probably have similar
habitat requirements. After some preliminary studies it looks like all
the assemblages are quite similar because the same species (limpets and
a few species of worms) are always abundant in each tubeworm area.
Seven months after the
1998 Axial eruption, we arrived for sampling from the new vents created
in the eruption. At that time, only a couple of vents supported tube worms.
Therefore, Ashes and the lava flow were very different. We're predicting
that over time the vents at the 1998 eruption are going to mature (contain
lots of tube worms), like the ones we see at Ashes.
Jeff: How tall are the
largest tubeworms you've studied?
Jean: I've seen tubeworms about 6 ft.tall up at the Endeavour Segment
on the northern part of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The tallest tubeworms
probably reach heights of six to seven feet.
Jeff: What's the most interesting
part of your research? Jean: From beginning to end, I just love coming
out to sea. I spend 11 months of the year staring down a microscope and
sorting preserved animals. It's amazing to come out here and see them
alive and to be part of the whole sampling process. Also, finding new
species is always cool. We found two new species of worms on the Juan
de Fuca Ridge.
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