Hydrothermal Vents Research Paper

To maintain life, organisms must be able to convert energy from one form to another. For example, in the process of photosynthesis, algae, plants, and photosynthetic prokaryotes use the energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water to glucose and oxygen (a waste product).

Finally there is the Hyperthermophiles. Found in very hot temperatures such as hydrothermal vents in deep oceans. With this said, the two microorganisms that I worked with would be known as Mesophiles. Both of these microorganisms grow on or in the human body. They prefer moist heat that is body temperature. I made an incubation box to help mimic the temperatures needed. Typically trying to maintain the temperature of thirty seven degrees Celsius.

The word "photoautotroph" can be broken up into three parts. Photo means light, auto means self, and troph means nourishment. By putting these words together, you can infer that a photoautotroph is an organism that makes light into nourishment. This is the process of photosynthesis, which literally means that the organism uses sunlight energy, carbon dioxide, and water to create organic materials which are used for cellular function (Wikipedia). Plants are an example of this kind of organism.

The Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents theory is one of the theories that is best supported by evidence and logic. Millions of years ago, before life had formed, there were hydrothermal vents deep under the oceans, and they were thought to be a consistent and frequent

The claim is the same as the evidence, scientists discovered biological communities unexpectedly living around seafloor hydrothermal vents, far from sunlight and thriving on a chemical soup rich in hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and sulfur, spewing from the geysers.Inspired by these findings, scientists later proposed that hydrothermal vents provided an ideal environment with all the ingredients needed for microbial life to emerge on early Earth. researchers went to hydrothermal vent sites where the chemistry predicted they would find a lot of methane, and others where very little was predicted to form. they measured 38 hydrothermal fluids from Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Guaymas Basin, the East Pacific Rise, and the Mid-Cayman A central figure in this hypothesis is a simple sulfur-containing carbon compound called methane. Scientists suspected methane to have started

Much how surface plants use photosynthesis to turn carbon dioxide into sugar, these dark-dwelling bacteria use chemical processes to fix carbon using available hydrogen sulfide and methane.

Hypersaline environments constitute typical examples of environments with extreme conditions due to their high salinity, exposure to high and low temperatures, low oxygen conditions and in some cases, high pH values. Bacteria and Archaea are the most widely distributed organisms in these

Deep ocean trenches are environments that have historically been shrouded in mystery, their inaccessibility rendering such limited explorations as net dragging and dredging for samples (Lee, 2012). While potential for chemosynthesis had been proposed as long ago as 1890, it was nearly a century later before such systems were demonstrated to be active on the ocean floor (German, 2011). Further investigation has shown that ecosystems are surviving and thriving along the ocean floor within these trenches. Studies have shown that deep ocean trenches contain ecosystems that are biologically and geologically active, producing a high diversity of organisms that must withstand a variety of environmental changes (Anderson et al., 2014). Recent explorations have confirmed new forms of life in deep ocean trenches. Life discovered in such an extreme environment is call for investigation.

Aerobes use gaseous oxygen for metabolism and process enzymes that are need to eliminate the toxic oxygen byproducts. An organism that cannot grow without oxygen is called an obligate aerobe. A facultative aerobe is an organism that does not require oxygen for metabolism, but is capable of growing without oxygen. Microaerophiles do not grow at normal atmospheric oxygen because they only need small amounts. An anaerobe is a microorganism that lacks metabolic enzymes needed for respiration. Aerotolerant anaerobes do not use oxygen gas but can survive and grow in its presence.

The discovery of the hydrothermal vents along the Galapagos Riff led to the identification of chemoautotrophic symbiosis. These vents are widespread along the sea floor. They release sulfide, methane, and heat from beneath the Earth’s crust, they provide homes for the organisms to attach to and food for them to consume. The chemotrophs use the elements and energy within these vents as food and cycle the energy up the food chain. Iron

Photosynthesis is essential to all living organism such as animals and plants. Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reaction that converts carbon dioxide and water into oxygen, carbohydrates and water. (Textbook: Principles of Biology). The reactants and the products of photosynthesis are:

This bacteria consumes,stores and redistributes energy,which leads to an increase in biological function for both humans and the bacteria itse lf (Backhed et al, 2005). A similar process is discussed in the Journa l "Sulfide oxidation occurs in the ani:mal tissue of the gutless clam" (Powel, Somero, 1985) looking at the mutualism between bacteria and the gutless clam. In this case the clam,which survives within sulphur rich environments, has the bacteria present within the tissue. This bacteria has evolved to oxidise sulphur for a net release of energy, which is used to produce ATP and provide the energy for cellular function (Powel, Somero, 1985). These mutualistic mechanisms primarily result in involved organisms to have a greater range of metabolic attributes without the need for generations spent evolving the process. Mutualism also results in the organism relationship having a much greater adaptability ultimately resulting in a greater chance of survival for both parties (Backhed et al,

Symbiotic interactions between various groups of prokaryotes as well as between prokaryotes and eukaryotic organisms were one essential driving force of evolution. While doing this work I came across some examples of symbiosis implicating organisms from the three domains of life that I will share with you.

The source of primary productivity in hydrothermal vent regions is the breakdown of hydrogen sulfide by chemoautotrophic bacteria. It differs from coral reefs and epipelagic zones because those zones use photosynthesis.

Life on Earth is dependent entirely on the energy from the Sun, not only to keep the planet at a suitable temperature but also to provide the energy required to sustain life. The energy of the Sun, in the form of photons, is actively captured by chlorophyll and related pigments present in photosynthetic organisms, like plants and algae. This captured energy is used to convert carbon dioxide into complex energy-rich molecules that can be used by themselves