How do deep sea creatures survive without sunlight?

Since the early 1970s, when American scientists discovered numerous biological communities in hydrothermal vents at a depth of 2,500 m on the Galapagos Ridge in the Eastern Pacific, people have gradually understood that the Earth. There are two types of oceans. , blue and black, as well as two types of primary productivity and their food chains. The blue ocean uses plankton as its main productivity and obtains energy by absorbing sunlight; while the dark ocean uses hydrothermal bacteria as the main productivity and mainly relies on microorganisms to reduce sulfur oxides in the seafloor hydrothermal system through chemical synthesis to obtain energy.

This is why so many biological communities are found around enormous “chimney”-shaped hydrothermal vent systems on the seafloor. The microorganisms ofSeafloors are mainly distributed in two major environments: First, the hydrothermal fluid itself contains large numbers of thermophilic bacteria. They are ejected from the seafloor with other hydrothermal materials, and become attached and deposited in hydrothermal vents. in volcanic rocks. Contains a large number of bacteria; the second is made up of microorganisms that exist in the sediments and strata of the seabed.

For more than ten years, scientists have continued to discover a large number of microorganisms in the deep seabed, and even a large number of biological communities exist around some high-temperature hot springs or deep sea hydrothermal sources. . Why can these microorganisms still survive freely in such a hostile environment? When they first discovered it, marine biologists thought it wasknows a mystery difficult to explain.

Marine scientists have also discovered that the acetate found in ocean sediments in general is not abundant enough to allow large numbers of microorganisms to survive. Scientists are therefore very perplexed by this situation. After numerous simulation experiments, they discovered that as temperatures increase, organic matter in seafloor sediments accelerates its decomposition to form more nutrients in the form of acetate. This can reasonably explain why large numbers of microorganisms thrive around seafloor hot springs or hydrothermal vents.

To confirm this conclusion, the scientists then used a deep submersible to sample geological sediments on the deep sea floor, near hot springs and hydrothermal vents. They discovered that theAcetate content was much higher than that of other ingredients. , and the higher the temperature, the higher the content of this substance. Recently, scientists from the United Kingdom and Norway conducted joint research and found that after death, marine organisms sink to the bottom of the sea and gradually accumulate there, forming sediments rich in organic matter. These organic substances will gradually break down to form a nutrient called acetate. This nutrient can provide microorganisms with carbon, oxygen, sulfur and other elements necessary for their survival.

Studies by Italian scientists have shown that the DNA of dead organisms provides 4% of the carbon, 7% of the nitrogen and 47% of the phosphorus needed by microorganisms living on the seabed . When microorganisms “eat” this extracellular DNA, they quickly “regenerate” phosphorus, i.e.They convert the phosphorus found in DNA into a form that can be used by phytoplankton and other photosynthetic organisms that live on the ocean surface. shapes.

In addition to snails and geckos, animals with the ability to regenerate include sea cucumbers, starfish, ctenophores, salamanders, and beetles. Ambystoma?

Sea cucumbers have a very strong regenerative capacity. Primary school textbooks also describe that when sea cucumbers encounter predators and cannot escape, they use a seemingly cruel method to protect themselves, which involves spitting out the internal organs of their bodies. . , to confuse predators so they can escape. After escaping, the internal organs expelled from the sea cucumber will regenerate over time.

We can say that the energy rgenerator of starfish is the technique of cloning. Each part of a starfish can regenerate a new starfish in the sea. Even some fish with strong regeneration ability can still become a new fruit if thrown into the sea.

Ctenophores resemble other jellyfish, with no obvious difference in appearance. The growth process and nervous and muscular systems of ctenophores are different from those of other marine organisms. They look like ordinary marine organisms, but they have a unique nervous system that can regenerate a brain in just four days. This super powerful regenerative system is also crazy. about this. When trying to treat human mental problems, like Parkinson's disease, etc. by research, the most important thing is to go there.

Axolotl can not only regenerate limbs, but also regenerate lthe organs of the body. Similar to sea cucumbers, the tissue regeneration process of axolotls does not cause scarring. In addition to having "Holy Grail" applications such as healing damaged spinal cord and brain injuries, the cells of the axolotl's regenerated limbs also have partial memory functions, and it is these memory functions which can regenerate new bones, muscles and nerve tissue. Studying memory function in axolotls may help regenerate amputated human limbs, while studying the healing process of axolotls may help develop a range of new treatments for a wide range of common diseases, such as heart disease and liver disease.

The Ambystoma is a type of salamander with an extraordinary capacity for regeneration. Once its limbs and tail are damaged, they will not heal themselves.Even as scars, but will grow new limbs within a few months. They can even regenerate in very complex ways. Certain parts of the body, including parts of the brain and spinal cord, have a strong ability to accept foreign organs. The eyes and parts of the brain can return completely to normal after transplantation.