Hydrothermal Vent and Cold Seep Worms: Vestimentifera

Hydrothermal vent and cold seep worms live in total darkness. They rely on the billions of bacteria living in their bodies to make food. The worms provide the bacteria with carbon dioxide from their own bodies and hydrogen sulfide collected from the hydrothermal vents. As the bacteria convert these chemicals into energy for themselves, they produce simple sugars and other compounds that the worms absorb as food. The conversion of chemical reactions into food is called chemosynthesis (KEY-moh-SIN-thuh-sihs).