SCIENCE | Service | Stewardship EXPLORE THE EARTH Weird, Red, and Slightly Gross! “OK, we’re 8,000 feet deep now… This process is called “chemosynthesis.” Most hydrothermal vent animals aren’t able to use Hey, there’s something on the bottom that these chemicals all by themselves. Instead they looks like twisted stone chimneys with some have partnerships with other organisms, usually kind of hot fluid jetting out from the top… bacteria. The tubeworms, for example, have a large organ called a trophosome, that contains Wait a minute…there’s all kinds of animals chemosynthetic bacteria. They do not have a down here; giant clams and huge red worms mouth, stomach, or intestines. The worms have sticking out of eight-foot-long tubes… long tentacles that stick out from the end of the tube. Inside the tentacles, the worms’ blood Believe me, no one has ever seen anything like contains hemoglobin (like human blood) that this before…“ can absorb chemicals from the surrounding water. The blood carries these chemicals to These observations, made on February 17, 1977 bacteria living in the trophosome. The bacteria aboard the deep-diving submarine Alvin, were produce food that provides nutrition to the one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the tubeworm. last century: a totally new ecosystem thriving at near-freezing temperatures in the total dark- In 2002, 2006, and 2011, NOAA supported Photograph of three small (12 inches tall) actively venting spires ness of the deep Pacific Ocean, and under water WMXXMRKSRXSTSJSRISJXLIGLMQRI]WMRXLI&PEGO*SVIWXZIRX½IPH expeditions to the Galapagos to revisit the site 8LIGLMQRI]WXLIQWIPZIWEVIEFSYXJIIXXEPP8LI¾YMHWLIVI where hydrothermal vents were first seen. See the pressure more than 275 times greater than the EVIZIRXMRKEX' * ERHEVII\TIPPMRKFPEGO QMRIVEPVMGL links below for more on these expeditions: pressure at sea level. WQSOIMRXSXLISGIER oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ ex1103/logs/photolog/photolog.html These ecosystems, now called “hydrothermal vent communities,” do not depend upon green What You Will Do oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05gala- plants and sunlight for their food. Instead, pagos/logs/photolog/photolog.html they are able to use chemicals in the hot fluids Make a three-dimensional oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02gala- pouring out of the twisted stone “chimneys.” model of a giant tubeworm pagos/logs/photolog/photolog.html 51 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Discover Your World With NOAA – It contains pores that release sperm or What You Will Need sulfi de to make food for themselves as well eggs during spawning; as the worm; be sure to include something 1. Materials that can represent parts of the – It contains the tubeworm’s version of a that represents bacteria (there are billions tubeworm (see the drawing below). Here are heart and a brain. of bacteria in the trophosome, but you don’t some ideas, but with a little imagination you • Trophosome – This dark green-brown organ has need to include all of them in your model!) can probably fi nd lots of other things to use: a spongy texture, and contains bacteria that • Trunk – This is where waste is • Cardboard tubes (mailing tubes or paper use oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen stored, since tubeworms have towel rolls) for the trunk and tube no mouth, stomach, intestines, • Pipe cleaners for tentacles Tu b e wo r m or anus (nasty, maybe, but it • Modeling clay or papier mâché (news- works for the tubeworm!) paper and glue made from fl our and • Tube – This is a hard hollow water) for the vestimentum Plume cylinder, and provides • Sponge for the trophosome Blood Vessel protection for the worm like • Small corks or pieces of round cereal can the shells of other animals. represent bacteria Ve s t imem t um The tentacles can be pulled 2. Other supplies: glue, scissors, poster board, completely inside the worm to colored markers, and/or spray paint Heart avoid predators. 3. Optional: a rotten egg in a tightly-closed jar • Opisthosome – This organ (like the vestimentum) produces new How to Do It Tr o p h o s o me tube material and helps anchor Since most of a tubeworm is hidden inside the the worm in its tube. tube, you should build your model as a “cut- away” (also called a cross section) so that the major structures can be seen. Here are the Tu b e A very noticeable feature about tubeworms parts of a tubeworm that should be included in is their smell. One of the chemicals used by your model: chemosynthetic bacteria is hydrogen sulfi de, • Tentacles – All the tentacles together which is what makes rotten eggs smell the way are called the “plume”; these should they do. If you want to include this feature in be colored red, since they contain Body Cavity (inside the Trunk) your model, you should probably put a rotten hemoglobin. egg (or other source of hydrogen sulfi de) in • Vestimentum – This is a muscular structure a glass jar with a tight-fi tting lid so you can that has several functions: Opisthosome control the smell. – It helps to hold the worm in its tube; – It generates new tube material; 52 noaa.gov SCIENCE | Service | Stewardship EXPLORE THE EARTH Want to Do More? 1. Visit www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle. do?id=2400 to find out about black smokers (the “chimneys” around hydrothermal vents WOW!!!! that emit hot fluids). These tube worms 2. Visit oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/edu/themes/ vents-and-volcanoes/welcome.html for more are about information and activities on hydrothermal vent communities. 3 feet long! 3. Visit www.divediscover.whoi.edu/vents/index. html to learn more about the discovery of hydrothermal vents, including recordings of scientists aboard the submarine Alvin. 4. Visit oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ explorations/02fire/logs/magicmountain/ 6MJXMEXYFI[SVQWQYWWIPWERHWGEZIRKMRKGVEFWJSYRHEXXLI L]HVSXLIVQEPZIRXWMXI)EWX;EPPPSGEXIHEX2SVXLSRXLI)EWX welcome.html for fly-through movies of the 4EGM½G6MWI4LSXSGSYVXIW]SJ':ER(SZIV23%% Magic Mountain hydrothermal vent site on Explorer Ridge (in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, about 150 miles west of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada). This activity is adapted from “Let’s Make a Tubeworm!”, a lesson from the Ocean Explorer 2002 Gulf of Mexico Expedition: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02mexico/ Giant tubeworm, RIftia pachyptila, from the background/edu/media/gom_tube_gr56.pdf); by Mel L]HVSXLIVQEPZIRXWEXXLI)EWX4EGM½G6MWI Goodwin, PhD, Marine Biologist and Science Writer, Mt. EXQHITXL)EGLMRHMZMHYEPMRXLITLSXS Pleasant, SC. I\GIIHWSRIQIXIVMRPIRKXL'SYVXIW]1SRMOE &VMKLX9RMZIVWMX]SJ:MIRRE%YWXVME23%% 53 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).