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What is chemosynthesis:
Chemosynthesis is the biological conversion of carbon-containing molecules and nutrients to organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic compounds. The source of energy in the chemosynthesis is not the sunlight, the bacteria emitted by the chemicals in the deep ocean results in food production!
Many deep sea creatures rely on this process to live and thrive in the ocean with no sunlight! They consume chemosynthetic microorganisms. This (as second chemosynthesis) typically comes from hydrothermal vents, methane clathrates, cold seeps, whale falls, and isolated cave water.
Do you know that giant tube worms have an organ containing chemosynthetic bacteria instead of a gut!!
The Chemosynthesis in 4 Steps:
1-chemical-material-rich waters emerge for hydrothermal vents.
2-chemical energy is produced and microbes harness it.
3-the microbes convert the chemical to inorganic materials consumable by animals.
4-The resulting microbes can be consumed or hosted internally (as in tube worms converting the energy to sugar).
Chemosynthesis Equation and Examples:
It occurs in bacteria and other organisms, using the energy released as inorganic chemical relations to produce food! Many deep sea creatures use it to produce sugar but each one has its own way! like hydrothermal vents, vent bacteria oxidize hydrogen sulfide, add carbon dioxide and oxygen, and produce sugar, sulfur, and water: CO2 + 4H2S + O2 -> CH20 + 4S + 3H2O. Other bacteria make organic matter by reducing sulfide or oxidizing methane.
bacteria and archaea form the base of food webs at hydrothermal vents.
The perfect example is the deepsea worms which receive carbon dioxide with hydrogen sulfide as the energy source from the hydrothermal vents to produce sugar for their bodies and stay alive in complete darkness!
Equation:
CO2 + O2 + 4H2S → CH2O + 4S + 3H2O
Chemosynthesis vs Photosynthesis:
these terms are similar as they both produce food for animals but the main difference is that Photosynthesis relies on sunlight for production opposed to chemosynthesis is relies on chemical energy! Plants for example use photosynthesis to survive as opposed to deep-seed animals where no sunlight is there and the survival is based on chemical materials produced by deep sea ecosystems(hydrothermal vents, etc)…
Without these discoveries, no life will survive on the planet as both chemosynthesis and photosynthesis are parts of the food chain!
In the process of production, bacteria produce the main organic matter as this in photosynthesis is impossible! Isolation of thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria Thermodesulfovibrio yellowstonii and other types of chemosynthetics provides prospects for further research.
The Importance of Chemosynthesis:
More studies are required to study further chemosynthesis, its effects, its importance in deep-sea ecosystems, and more hydrothermal vents are being discovered as most oceans remain unexplored!
Without the sun, chemosynthesis provides the basic food web for the nearby living animals in the hydrothermal vents ecosystem.
Still, our knowledge is still new on chemosynthesis as the first discovered deep-sea vent goes back to 1977 when a whole community of unknown creatures was discovered back then and still a mystery to humans! chemosynthetic bacterial communities have been found in hot springs on land and on the seafloor around hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, whale carcasses, and even sunken ships! They existed for a long time before discovery!
Some species of worm are discovered living near hydrothermal vents living over 175°F! (It’s called the Pompeii worm)
Did You know that chemosynthesis was discovered in 1977 alongside vents, cold seeps, whale carcasses, and even sunken ships; This specific ecosystem was there all along but no one looked for them!
Know More About The Deep Sea Ecosystem:
Deepest Living Creatures On Our Ocean: The Mariana Trench Animals
Deep Sea Corals Can Be Hundreds Or Thousands Of Years Old
The Animals Living In The Mesopelagic Zone
What Are The Deep Sea Remotely Operated Vehicles: Full Guide!
