Concentrations and distributions of amino acids in black and white smoker fluids at temperatures over 200 °C

Amino acids are considered to be unstable under hydrothermal condition (> 200 °C). However, labile amino acids (e.g., Asp and Ser) were abundant in high temperature fluids. These amino acids would be protected by reaction with inorganic compounds. The behavior of the amino acids derived from organisms around hydrothermal vents would be constrained more by abiotic physico-chemical reactions than biological activities in hydrothermal systems.