Lara Baptista, PhD NIOZ

I am currently a post-doctoral researcher within the SUBLIFE project (PI: Sabine Gollner) at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ, Netherlands), studying macro- and meiofaunal diversity in newly found shallow sub-seafloor cavities below deep-sea hydrothermal vents at 9°North East Pacific Rise (EPR) vents at 2500 meters depth. By studying which metazoans can use the crustal seafloor as permanent or transient habitat, this project aims to increase our understanding and the extent of connectivity between the seafloor and sub-seafloor biospheres. Within the DEEP REST project, I will conduct trait analyses of EPR fauna before and after volcanic eruption and from different vent and non-vent habitats, aiming for a better understanding of the resilience and recovery of deep-sea communities after disturbances.