Chemiosynthesis In The Ocean Floor

However at hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean a unique ecosystem has evolved in the absence of sunlight and its source of energy is completely different.

Chemiosynthesis in the ocean floor.

Scientists later realized that bacteria were converting the toxic vent minerals into usable forms of energy through a process called chemosynthesis providing food for other vent organisms. Back in 1977 a very interesting discovery was made on the deep ocean floor where no light penetrates. Chemosynthesis is the process by which certain microbes create energy by mediating chemical reactions. During chemosynthesis bacteria living on the sea floor or within animals use energy stored in the chemical bonds of hydrogen sulfide and methane to make glucose from water and carbon dioxide dissolved in sea water.

Chemosynthesis occurs around the hydrothermal vents at deep levels of the ocean. Chemosynthesis occurs around hydrothermal vents and methane seeps in the deep sea where sunlight is absent. An entire ecosystem living without light or oxygen chemosynthesis flourishes beneath the ocean floor. Photosynthesis gives off oxygen gas as a byproduct while chemosynthesis.

While most life on this planet requires sunlight to live there is an. The following features are shown at example depths to scale though each feature has a considerable range at which it may occur. Our knowledge of chemosynthetic communities is relatively new brought to light by ocean exploration when humans first observed a vent on the deep ocean floor in 1977 and found a thriving community where there was no light. A hydrothermal vent is like a geyser on the ocean s floor.

This graphic shows several ocean floor features on a scale from 0 35 000 feet below sea level. Communities of creatures have adapted to survive in these inhospitable conditions and continue to thrive through the process of chemosynthesis. Hydrothermal vents are like geysers or hot springs on the ocean floor.