Hydrothermal Vents
By: Theresa Zajac and Kevin Kwong
Black Smokers
White Smokers
• From at 300-400°C
• Iron, copper, zinc, and lead
• Barium, calcium, and silicon
• White smokers are cooler
Extremophiles and the Hydrothermal Vent Community
Images courtesy of MDK12, ifremer and WHOI
Chemosynthetic bacteria
Microbial mats
These vent organisms are capable of living and reproducing under extreme conditions. A lot of these are primitive, single-celled microorganisms
Some new and unusual species in vent communities
The Pompeii Worm
The “Scaly foot” Gastropod
Image from University of Delaware College of Marine Studies
Discovered in the early 1980s off theGalapagos island
Suzuki et al , 2006
Discovered in 2001 in the Indian Ocean’s Kairei hydrothermal vent field