Download Abyssal Zone

Abyssal Zone
Zone on the Bottom of the
Ocean
The ocean zone where you would
find organisms such as worms, sea
urchins, and chemosynthetic
bacteria is the abyssal zone.
• Worms
Hydrothermal Vent
Communities
• Chemosynthetic bacteria are producers.
• Energy rich hydrogen sulfide is used.
• Hydrogen Sulfide comes from
superheating of seawater.
• Rich ecosystem
• Very patchy in space and time.
Hydrothermal Vents
www.divediscover.whoi.edu/vents
Hydrothermal Vents
oceanexplorer.noaa.gov
Starfish and Sea Urchin
Flatfish
Sablefish
Mushroom Corals
Sea Urchins
• Scientists once thought that sunlight was
the source of energy for all life and that
photosynthesis was the only way to
make food.
• It is now known that reduced chemicals
from hydrothermal vents provide
chemosynthetic energy for some
lifeforms.
• High temperatures
and high
concentrations of
dissolved minerals
in seawater form
compounds such
as hydrogen
sulfide.
• In a biochemical process, bacteria oxidize hydrogen
sulfide and use the liberated energy to produce
carbohydrates (stored chemical energy).
Chemosynthesis
• Unlike photosynthesis,
chemosynthesis
requires no light and
can occur at the
extreme temperatures
and high pressures of
the deep ocean.
Chemosynthetic Food Web
• The chemosynthetic
food web supports
dense populations of
uniquely adapted
organisms