Are CO₂‐rich seafloor pockmarks a suitable environment for ostracod assemblages? The example of the Zannone Giant Pockmark (central‐eastern Tyrrhenian)

Abstract

Despite their high abundance and diversity, ostracods adapted to a particular chemosynthetic environment and its surroundings have rarely been studied. Therefore, the thresholds and environmental characteristics shaping their assemblages are poorly known. Here, we report a detailed study of the ostracod assemblages occurring around the Zannone Giant Pockmark, a CO2 hydrothermal vent system recently discovered in the central‐eastern Tyrrhenian Sea. Although among crustaceans, ostracods seem to have the longest stratigraphic record in fossil seeps and hydrothermal vents starting in the Palaeozoic, our results indicate that their occurrence is driven by CO2 that represents an insurmountable threshold for ostracods’ life.

Volcanic-associated ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea: a systematic map and an interactive tool to support their conservation

“…During the last decades the more intense observation of the European continental margins provided evidence of the presence of a wide range of volcanic-associated ecosystems such as hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, pockmarks, seamounts and mud volcanoes in the Mediterranean basin ( Loncke, Mascle & Fanil Scientific Parties, 2004 ). Overall, the biological processes and the diverse communities of volcanic-associated ecosystems are unique and our understanding remains limited ( Van Dover, 2000 ; Vanreusel et al, 2009 ; Aiello et al, 2022 ).…”