Hydrothermal vents form deep in the ocean when iron-rich magma is released from openings on the seafloor. These vents spew extremely hot water (400$^circ$C) mixed with methane and sulfur. Bacteria that thrive in this hostile environment form the base of a food chain that leads to colonization by tube worms, mussels, and many other life-forms. When a hydrothermal vent becomes inactive and cold, the bacterial community that lives in the hot fluid methane and sulfur dies out. Which organisms most likely succeed the original community in this ecosystem?

ECOLOGY

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Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]

Hydrothermal vents form deep in the ocean when iron-rich magma is released from openings on the seafloor. These vents spew extremely hot water (400

A	Cold-tolerant bacteria that feed on sulfur and iron in the vents
B	Giant kelp that use sulfur in photosynthesis
C	Fish that do not need oxygen for cellular respiration
D	Ocean mammals that tolerate cold and act as top predators in the food chain

Explanation:

Detailed explanation-1: -Hydrothermal vents form at locations where seawater meets magma. A venting black smoker emits jets of particle-laden fluids. The particles are predominantly very fine-grained sulfide minerals formed when the hot hydrothermal fluids mix with near-freezing seawater.

Detailed explanation-2: -What is a hydrothermal vent? Hydrothermal vents are naturally forming structures found in the ocean. They usually occur on divergent plate boundaries, where tectonic plates are moving apart. The vents expel a fluid that was heated to extreme temperatures when seeping through the Earth’s crust from the ocean.

Detailed explanation-3: -How Do Hydrothermal Vents Form? Hydrothermal vents are the result of sea water percolating down through fissures in the ocean crust near spreading centers or subduction zones. The cold seawater is heated by hot magma, and re-emerges to form the vents.

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LIFE SCIENCE

OBJECTIVE LIFE SCIENCE

ECOLOGY