For 10 points, name these ocean floor ecosystems that include "black smokers," and which are driven and sustained by the outpouring of volcanicallyÂ­derived mineralÂ­laden water.
An organism living in one of these environments concentrates nitrates in its blood to 100 times environmental levels. That organism has multiple complex hemoglobins, which are uniquely selective for oxygen. Those aforementioned annelids have vascularized red plumes at their free ends, and belong to the genus Riftia. One hypothesis regarding abiogenesis inspired by these ecosystems involves the use of metal (*) sulfides to catalyze the formation of peptides from gases; that is the ironÂ­sulfur world theory. These ecosystems were first directly observed and sampled by the unmanned submersible ALVIN. The mean pH of these environments was measured to be roughly 2.8, due to the oxidation of sulfides into sulfuric acid by chemosynthetic bacteria. For 10 points, name these ocean floor ecosystems that include "black smokers," and which are driven and sustained by the outpouring of volcanicallyÂ­derived mineralÂ­laden water.
An organism living in one of these environments concentrates nitrates in its blood to 100 times environmental levels.
hydrothermal vents [accept hydrothermal chimneys or black smokers until it is read; prompt on "vents" or "thermal vents"; prompt on any answer involving the "ocean" or "deep sea"]