Food and Animals
The food chain in the Deep Sea Biome is unique to others because of how animals interact with each other. If one animal is being attacked, they will shine their "burglar alarm" lights so the "police" predators know where to find their "burglars", or their next meal. Some sea cucumbers (left) even coat their burglars with sticky glowing mucus so the "police" can find the burglars, arrest them, and put them into the stomach jail. There are no producers in this biome except near hydrothermal vents, where plants use a process called chemosynthesis. Chemosynthesis is like photosynthesis except that instead of sunlight, it uses methane, hydrogen gas, or hydrogen sulfide as a source of energy. Here is the chemical formula:
CO2 + O2 + 4H2S → CH2O + 4S + 3H2O
The 4H2S is hydrogen sulfide, and the CH2O is carbohydrate. Some organisms that do that are the mussel and the tube worm. Also, some animals rely on chemoactic autotrophs who use chemosynthesis. Organisms rely on bodies of dead fish and plankton that fall from the ocean above for most of their food if they are primary consumers. An example food chain around hydrothermal vents is
Vent Bacteria --> Vent Zooplankton --> Galtheid Crabs --> Vent ratfish
The vent bacteria use chemosynthesis to supply energy to the rest of the food chain. The vent zooplankton is the primary consumer. The galtheid crab and the vent ratfish are secondary and tertiary consumers respectfully. Pictures of these animals can be seen in the photo gallery.
For those animals that don't eat the bacteria producers, there is a supply of dead plankton and animals that rains down to the deep. Also, some daring fish swim up to the surface during night when its harder to see and they eat food up there. When daytime comes, they go back down to the floor of the ocean and try not to get eaten.
Animals use bioluminescence which light up certain parts of their body, such as the angler fish's lights (left). Other animals that use that technique are sea worms that launch green capsules that glow, and comb jellies who light up their whole body.
CO2 + O2 + 4H2S → CH2O + 4S + 3H2O
The 4H2S is hydrogen sulfide, and the CH2O is carbohydrate. Some organisms that do that are the mussel and the tube worm. Also, some animals rely on chemoactic autotrophs who use chemosynthesis. Organisms rely on bodies of dead fish and plankton that fall from the ocean above for most of their food if they are primary consumers. An example food chain around hydrothermal vents is
Vent Bacteria --> Vent Zooplankton --> Galtheid Crabs --> Vent ratfish
The vent bacteria use chemosynthesis to supply energy to the rest of the food chain. The vent zooplankton is the primary consumer. The galtheid crab and the vent ratfish are secondary and tertiary consumers respectfully. Pictures of these animals can be seen in the photo gallery.
For those animals that don't eat the bacteria producers, there is a supply of dead plankton and animals that rains down to the deep. Also, some daring fish swim up to the surface during night when its harder to see and they eat food up there. When daytime comes, they go back down to the floor of the ocean and try not to get eaten.
Animals use bioluminescence which light up certain parts of their body, such as the angler fish's lights (left). Other animals that use that technique are sea worms that launch green capsules that glow, and comb jellies who light up their whole body.