Life in Extreme Marine Environments: Evolution, Adaptation and Ecosystem Dynamics

Extreme marine environments, particularly in hypersaline and hydrothermal vent ecosystems, can serve as natural laboratories to understand the evolution of life and functioning under severe stressors. Hypersaline habitats are characterized by salinities exceeding those of seawater, intense evaporation, and ionic imbalances, diminishing species richness but promoting specialized adaptations: osmotic regulation and metabolic plasticity. Hydrothermal vents occur along tectonically active seafloor regions where superheated, mineral-rich fluids fuel dense biological communities supported by chemosynthetic microorganisms rather than photosynthesis. Both environments reveal how organisms adapt to extremes of salinity, temperature, pressure, and chemical toxicity. These systems host unique biodiversity, including extremophilic microbes, invertebrates, and symbiotic organisms that play crucial roles in nutrient cycling and ecosystem functioning. Investigating life across these habitats provides important insights into evolutionary innovation, ecological resilience, and the limits of biological adaptation in extreme environments. Organisms thriving in extreme environments hold immense promise for applications in medicine, agro-aquaculture, and new biotechnologies.Although significant progress has been made in studying extreme marine environments, important gaps remain in understanding how organisms evolve, adapt, and maintain ecosystem functions amidst the combined challenges of hypersalinity, hydrothermal activity, and physicochemical variability. Current research predominantly examines specific species or isolated environments, leading to a fragmented understanding of the ecological and evolutionary dynamics that influence biodiversity in extreme environments. Additionally, integrating ecological observations with advancements in genomics and biogeochemical techniques can unveil adaptive strategies, community dynamics, and ecosystem resilience. These interdisciplinary efforts will enhance our comprehension of biodiversity patterns and the mechanisms underpinning extreme marine ecosystems. This synthesis of approaches and methodologies will not only deepen our understanding of these unique ecosystems but will also facilitate the formulation of strategies for conserving distinctive biodiversity and leveraging it for the socio-economic advancement of society.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of how life persists, adapts, and evolves in extreme marine environments, particularly hypersaline systems and hydrothermal vent ecosystems. We invite contributions that explore ecological, evolutionary, physiological and biogeochemical processes shaping biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across these habitats. Specific themes include:(1) Evolutionary adaptations and physiological mechanisms enabling survival under extreme salinity, temperature, pressure and chemical gradients(2) Biodiversity patterns, community structure and trophic interactions in hypersaline and hydrothermal environments(3) Microbial diversity, symbiosis and chemosynthetic pathways supporting ecosystem productivity(4) Ecological connectivity and comparative studies across extreme marine systems(5) Ecosystem responses to environmental variability and anthropogenic pressures(6) Extreme ecosystems (various aspects) in other harsh environments.We welcome Original Research Articles, Review Papers, Mini-Reviews, Perspectives, and Methods papers that integrate field observations, laboratory experiments, molecular and genomic approaches, and modeling studies. Topic editors: Nickolai Shadrin, Elena Anufriieva, Subramani Thirunavukkarasu, Jiang-Shiou Hwang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79026/life-in-extreme-marine-environments-evolution-adaptation-and-ecosystem-dynamics