Question

Hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean release extremely hot water, methane gas, and sulfur. Extreme bacteria thrive in this hostile environment. They form the base of a food web - that includes tube worms, mussels, and many other life forms. When a hydrothermal vent becomes inactive and cold, what will like occur?

Answer 1

They become inactive when seafloor-spreading moves them away from the rising magma or when they become clogged. Some vent fields may remain active for 10,000 years, but individual vents are much shorter-lived. Chemosynthetic bacteria obtain energy from the chemical bonds of hydrogen sulfide.