Scientists Discover Thriving Ecosystems in deep-Sea Trenches Fueled by Chemical Energy
During an expedition last summer, researchers from the Chinese academy of Sciences made a groundbreaking revelation in the deep-sea trenches of the northwest Pacific ocean, an area situated between Japan and Alaska. Utilizing a manned submersible, they reached depths exceeding 31,000 feet, venturing into a realm where sunlight cannot penetrate.
The primary objective of this mission was not to search for shipwrecks, but rather to explore the life that might exist on the abyssal seafloor. It was in this extreme environment that they encountered remarkable communities of animals. These organisms are sustained by a process known as chemosynthesis, where microbes convert chemical compounds like methane and hydrogen sulfide into organic matter, forming the foundation of the local food web. This significant finding was recently published in the journal Nature.
according to Mengran Du,a researcher at the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a study author,this represents the deepest chemosynthetic life community ever identified.
The research team, aboard the deep-sea vessel Fendouzhe, observed a rich diversity of marine life. They documented extensive fields of marine tube worms, often accompanied by white marine snails. The tube worms exhibit a symbiotic relationship with chemosynthetic bacteria residing within their bodies. These bacteria provide the worms with essential nutrients in exchange for a stable habitat.
Among the tube worms, the scientists also identified white, centipede-like creatures, identified as worms belonging to the genus macellicephaloides, and also sea cucumbers.
The seafloor also revealed various species of clams, frequently found in proximity to anemones. Similar to the tube worms, these clams rely on bacteria housed within their shells to process chemical compounds, such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, abundant in the deep sea, into sustenance.
Unlike othre deep-sea ecosystems that depend on organic matter sinking from shallower waters,these trench communities appear to be primarily supported by methane produced by microbes residing beneath the seafloor. This suggests that such wildlife populations might potentially be more prevalent in these extreme depths than previously understood.
du emphasized the meaning of this discovery,stating in an email to Vox,”The presence of these chemosynthetic ecosystems challenge long-standing assumptions about life’s potential at extreme depths.”
