The project that I have been working on involves looking at the microbial community associated with beehives. Yes, I did say beehives. Under certain flow conditions, rock formations are formed that look just like a beehive that you might see hanging under the eaves of a house. However, within a hydrothermal vent field, the beehives are made of sulfide rocks. (see picture). The white wand above the sulfide is collecting water samples and chemical information about the fluid coming from the beehive.

In a geologist's terminology, a beehive would be called "friable" meaning that the rock is quite soft and will break apart easily. This makes collecting the beehives quite difficult since they will occasionally break apart before they can be safely transfered to the collection box on the submersible. On this cruise we have had some successes collecting the beehives and returning them to the surface relatively intact.

My hypothesis is that the soft nature of the beehives and the rocks associated with the beehive make a perfect habitat for microbes. In the lab, I have been recreating that environment within test tubes and am trying to grow the microbes that are found within a beehive. I have been successful in growing some of the microbes, however I will not know what species of microbes I have grown until I return to Oregon. For now I have to be content with knowing that I can grow the microbes in conditions similar to those seen in the field.