Benthopelagic macrozooplankton communities at and near deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the eastern Pacific ocean and the Gulf of California
Benthopelagic zooplankton communities at hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise and in Guaymas Basin are enriched in terms of both biomass and abundance with respect to non-vent areas, but depleted relative to biomass of surface zooplankton communities. Larval and juvenile stages of many benthic species, including Calyptogena spp., Bathymodiolus thermophilus, Nuculana sp., two undescribed species of limpets, Dahlella caldariensis, Bythograea sp., Munidopsis sp., epicaridean isopods, and lysianassid amphipods, were collected in the water column 1-5 m above vent areas. Since much of the zooplankton community is derived from the benthic community, macrozooplankton abundance and composition differ among vent sites in accordance with the nature and extent of development of the benthic community and depend, ultimately, on the history of hydrothermal activity at each site. © 1987.
