Microbially driven carbon and sulfur  cycling and biogeochemical coupling in hydrothermal  systems of Gulf of California (PRJCA050999)
As quintessential representatives of chemosynthetic ecosystems in extreme deep-sea environments, hydrothermal systems are ideal for investigating important scientific questions, such as the origin and evolution of life, the environmental adaptability of extremophiles, and microbially mediated biogeochemical cycles. Since their discovery, hydrothermal systems have consequently remained a focal point and frontier in oceanographic and geoscientific research. The seafloor of the Gulf of California, a narrow marginal sea extending into the North American continent in the eastern Pacific, hosts active hydrothermal vents. Due to its unique geographical position, combining rapid organic matter deposition with characteristics of seafloor spreading, the surface sediments in hydrothermal areas exhibit pronounced temperature variations and geochemical gradients. This makes the area a natural laboratory for studying deep-sea extremophilic microorganisms and geochemistry, as well as a hotspot for international collaborative research in recent years.