Ocean –dwelling plankton and plants create organic matter by photosynthesis. But life in the abyss, where no light penetrates, requires a different set of rules. Here, bacteria perform chemosynthesis, converting sulfur into organic matter. The supply is plentiful : Hydrothermal vents, formed volcanic activity and the movement of tectonic plates, pump hydrogen sulfide to the ocean floor. The chemosynthetic bacteria from the basis of an entire deep-sea food chain, a biologic community supported by geothermal power.
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