Investigations into deep-sea ecosystems are essential for elucidating the origins of life on Earth. Nevertheless, constraints in marine biotechnology have limited our understanding of biological processes occurring in these environments. In this study, we developed and evaluated an in situ cultivation system specifically designed for deep-sea environments. This system enables continuous induction cultivation directly on the seabed and facilitates comprehensive monitoring of the entire cultivation process via an imaging technique. The system is composed of three distinct modules: a cultivation and observation module, a methane slow-release module, and a power management module. This system enables controlled, slow release of energy and materials, allowing for the cultivation and sampling of communities on the seafloor, and supports long-term sequential monitoring through imaging. Through three deployment trials, we successfully established an artificial methane-driven deep-sea ecosystem on the seafloor of the South China Sea. Furthermore, by modifying the types of energy and materials supplied, the system can be adapted to address diverse scientific objectives, offering a robust tool for advancing research on deep-sea life.
Fang et al. (Sat,) studied this question.