Benthic foraminifera of bathyal hydrocarbon vents of the Gulf of Mexico: Initial report on communities and stable isotopes

Abstract

Substrates associated with active hydrocarbon vents in bathyal Gulf of Mexico support numerous foraminiferal species, with a few of them showing unusually high relative abundances. In the 584- to 695-m-depth range,Bolivina ordinaria, Gavelinopsis translucens, andCassidulina neocarinata strongly dominate the vent community, whereasBolivina subaenariensis andUvigerina laevis play this role around a vent at 216 m water depth. The bathymetric imprint on the foraminiferal record is also seen in theδ18O compositions of some species, includingUvigerina peregrina. The adaptation of foraminiferal communities to bacterial (Beggiatoa) mats, in which the redox boundary is very close to the sediment—water interface, and anomalous depletions of13C inU. peregrina (relative to the same species from nonventing sites) indicate that several species are probably facultative anaerobes and tolerant of H2S toxicity.