12 Guaymas Basin and Gulf of California Subsurface Systems and Energy Applications
This session will present subsurface research in the Gulf of California, especially IODP Expedition 385 to Guaymas Basin that explored the linkages between tectonics, magmatism, sedimentation, hydrothermalism, carbon cycling, and microbial life. Merged sessions: Subsurface Research in Guaymas Basin and the Gulf of California and Energy Resources and Economic Development in Baja California: Fossil, Renewable, and Transition Minerals.
Wednesday, 22 April 2026
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
LMH, Isla Carmen
Functional ecology of benthic communities associated with deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the Southern Pescadero Basin, Gulf of California.
Paper number: 12-8
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 3:20 PM – 3:35 PM
Authors
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Carlos Nieto Durán Presenting AuthorUniversidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Ensenada, Baja California
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Manet PeñaUniversidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Ensenada, Baja California
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Ronald SpelzUniversidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Ensenada, Baja California
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Rosalia Aguilar MedranoCentro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada, Baja California
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Raquel Negrete-ArandaCentro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada, Baja California, Baja California
Abstract
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are extreme ecosystems sustained by chemosynthetic primary production, hosting highly specialized benthic communities adapted to strong gradients in temperature, pressure, and fluid geochemistry. While the taxonomic composition of hydrothermal vent fauna in the Southern Pescadero Basin, Gulf of California, has been documented (Goffredi et al., 2017), the functional roles of species and the organization of ecosystem processes remain understudied.
In this study, we investigate the functional ecology of benthic invertebrate communities associated with active hydrothermal vent fields in the Southern Pescadero Basin, Gulf of California. Using a trait-based framework, we characterize functional diversity and dominant ecological roles within these chemosynthetic communities, aiming to identify patterns of functional organization and potential ecological vulnerabilities in this deep-sea hydrothermal system.
High-resolution video records collected by the ROV SuBastian during the FK210922 expedition aboard R/V Falkor were analyzed to identify benthic taxa and to assign functional traits related to trophic strategy, mobility, substrate association, and environmental tolerance. These functional attributes were integrated to evaluate functional diversity and to explore relationships between benthic community structure and local environmental conditions associated with hydrothermal activity.
Preliminary results indicate that benthic communities in the Southern Pescadero Basin, composed mainly of annelids, cnidarians, mollusks, crustaceans, and abyssal fishes of the genus Thermarces, exhibit functional traits associated with hydrothermal influence. These traits include sessile symbiont-bearing taxa, mobile detritivorous organisms, and opportunistic predators or scavengers, reflecting adaptations to habitats characterized by strong geochemical and physical gradients typical of abyssal ecosystems. The prevalence of functional roles linked to hydrothermal venting, such as the metabolic utilization of reduced compounds derived from hydrothermal fluids by symbiotic organisms, suggests that environmental conditions play a significant role in structuring the communities of the Southern Pescadero Basin.
This functional ecological perspective provides new insights into the organization of deep-sea hydrothermal vent benthic communities in the Southern Pescadero Basin, Gulf of California, and establishes a baseline for assessing ecosystem resilience in the face of natural variability and emerging anthropogenic pressures, including deep-sea resource exploration.
S. K. Goffredi et al., Proc. R. Soc. B 284, 20170817 (2017).
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 3
doi: 10.1130/abs/2026CD-411079
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