DEFINITION OF CHEMOSYNTHESIS

A metabolic process that differs drastically

from photosynthesis, the dominant metabolic process on

Earth that relies on energy from the Sun. Chemosynthetic

bacteria use hydrogen sulfide produced at deep seafloor

hydrothermal vents known as black smoker chimneys as an

energy source for their metabolism. The hydrogen sulfide is

produced by water that is heated by magma in the crust and

reacts with the seafloor basalt, converting sulfate in the seawater

to hydrogen sulfide. The primitive bacteria at these

seafloor hydrothermal vents, first discovered in 1977, metabolize

the hydrogen sulfide as an energy source and become

the primary producers in a complex food web around the

vents. Other organisms that in turn depend on the chemosynthetic

bacteria include giant tube worms, giant clams, lobster,

and fish. Some models for the origin of life on Earth suggest

that the earliest life on the planet was probably chemosynthetic

and heat-loving (thermophyllic).

See also BLACK SMOKER CHIMNEYS; LIFE’S ORIGINS AND

EARLY EVOLUTION.

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