Chemosynthetic Bacteria make up the base of the food chain in the Hydrothermal Vent ecosystem. An example of a Chemosynthetic Bacteria is Arcobacter sulfidicus. This bacteria has 4 tails and is shaped like a thin oval. It gets its energy from eating sulfide and oxygen molecules within the water near the vents.
It takes hydrogen sulfide out of the water, digests the sulfur and then emits it back out into the ocean water. This helps create "free" sulfur in the water that then reacts with iron in the water to form minerals like pyrite. These minerals help build up the vent system with time.
Arcobacter sulfidicus also makes its "tails" (flagella), out of sulfur. It launches its flagella out and other Arcobacter's latch onto the flagella with theirs. This helps create a mat of the bacteria and provides stabilization from hydrothermal vent currents.
A picture of Arcobacter sulfidicus is found at this website:
It takes hydrogen sulfide out of the water, digests the sulfur and then emits it back out into the ocean water. This helps create "free" sulfur in the water that then reacts with iron in the water to form minerals like pyrite. These minerals help build up the vent system with time.
Arcobacter sulfidicus also makes its "tails" (flagella), out of sulfur. It launches its flagella out and other Arcobacter's latch onto the flagella with theirs. This helps create a mat of the bacteria and provides stabilization from hydrothermal vent currents.
A picture of Arcobacter sulfidicus is found at this website:
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