Hydrothermal Vents

The marine world is highly dependent on the activity of microbes in many different ways. Microbes in the ocean come in the form of autotrophs and heterotrophs and come in any of the three domains of Eukaryota, Archaea, and Bacteria. Members of these domains can range from all niches as producers at the bottom of the food change, critical gut microbes and decomposers. Arguably, somewhere these and more duties are most important is around the hydrothermal vents found at the bottom of the ocean. Hydrothermal vents are openings in the Earth’s surface from which geothermally warmed water seeps out. This water is rich in hydrogen sulfide and other sulfur compounds which are then used by chemoautotrophic Bacteria and Archaea to produce organic materials through chemosynthesis. Many invertebrates live on or near these hydrothermal vents and these microbes provide nutrition and thus are the back bone of these unique …show more content…
Tevnia jerichonana and Riftia pachyptila are two species of tube worms which, not only do not have a mouth, but do not have a digestive tract at all. Instead the species have several billion chemotrophic bacteria living in their gut. The worms expel plumes dyed red with hemoglobin and use them to take sulfur compounds and other nutrients into the body cavity. The hemoglobin combines with hydrogen sulfide and is then taken up by the bacteria and used to produce organic nutrients which are supplied directly to the worm (“Extremes of Eel City” 2005). Alvinella pompejana, the Pompeii worm has a similar symbiotic relationship except these worms actually possess a digestive track. Instead of living in the worm’s body cavity, microbes live directly on the Pompeii worm’s plume; which is also dyed red from hemoglobin. The hemoglobin/hydrogen sulfide combination works in the same way except the worm then properly consumes the nutrients created by its bacteria (Cottrell et. al