A deep-sea hydrothermal vent is one of the harshest places to live on earth. This is due to the pitch darkness, heavy metals, extreme acidity, poison gas and the enormous pressure. Sunlight penetrates no further than a few hundred feet down which means the deep-sea floor is as dark as a deep cave. There are no plants due to no sunlight and all the vent life belong to the animal kingdom. Due to there being no plants there is no photosynthesis. These organisms rely on a process called chemosynthesis. (3)
Chemosynthesis is the use of harvested inorganic chemicals in the hydrothermal vent and carbon compounds in the water to build biomass (the organic matter the microbes are made of). It is called chemosynthesis because the energy to make biomass comes from …show more content…
This provides nutrients for the other animals which are higher up on the food chain. Some creatures like molluscs feast on the bacteria directly; others, like predatory fish, eat the animals that have eaten or made use of the microbes. Others like tubeworms, host the microorganisms in their tissues in exchange for organic compounds that the bacteria fashion from the vent chemicals and seawater. (3)(4) The food chain of the chemotrophs begins with Hydrogen Sulphide. This chemical is released at the hydrothermal vents. The sulphate in normal sea water is chemically transformed into hydrogen sulphide when the sea water is superheated to temperatures well over 300°C. (7) Water can only exist as a liquid at these temperatures because of the enormous pressure present at 2500m. (2)) Chemosynthetic bacteria then use the hydrogen sulphide as an energy source. The bacteria are then fed upon by giant clams, mussels, polychaete worms and other invertebrates forming the base of the food chain. (2) As the bacteria multiply they create a slimy substance that helps them stick to the rocks called biofilm (or biomat). This biofilm goes through succession however they are on much shorter
Chemosynthesis is the use of harvested inorganic chemicals in the hydrothermal vent and carbon compounds in the water to build biomass (the organic matter the microbes are made of). It is called chemosynthesis because the energy to make biomass comes from …show more content…
This provides nutrients for the other animals which are higher up on the food chain. Some creatures like molluscs feast on the bacteria directly; others, like predatory fish, eat the animals that have eaten or made use of the microbes. Others like tubeworms, host the microorganisms in their tissues in exchange for organic compounds that the bacteria fashion from the vent chemicals and seawater. (3)(4) The food chain of the chemotrophs begins with Hydrogen Sulphide. This chemical is released at the hydrothermal vents. The sulphate in normal sea water is chemically transformed into hydrogen sulphide when the sea water is superheated to temperatures well over 300°C. (7) Water can only exist as a liquid at these temperatures because of the enormous pressure present at 2500m. (2)) Chemosynthetic bacteria then use the hydrogen sulphide as an energy source. The bacteria are then fed upon by giant clams, mussels, polychaete worms and other invertebrates forming the base of the food chain. (2) As the bacteria multiply they create a slimy substance that helps them stick to the rocks called biofilm (or biomat). This biofilm goes through succession however they are on much shorter