In biochemistry, chemosynthesis is the biological conversion of one or more carbon molecules usually carbon dioxide or methane and nutrients into organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic molecules e.g. hydrogen gas, hydrogen sulfide or methane as a source of energy, rather than sunlight, as in photosynthesis . Chemotroph Chemoautotrophs , organism s that obtain carbon through chemosynthesis, are phylogenetically diverse, but groups that include conspicuous or biogeochemically important taxa include the sulfur oxidizing gamma and epsilon proteobacteria, the Aquificae les, the Methanogen ic archaea and the neutrophilic iron oxidizing bacteria. Many microorganisms in dark regions of the oceans also use chemosynthesis to produce biomass from single carbon molecules. Two categories can be distinguished. In the rare sites at which hydrogen molecules H sub 2 sub are available, the energy available from the reaction between CO sub 2 sub and H sub 2 sub leading to production of methane, CH sub 4 sub can be large enough to drive the production of biomass. Alternatively, in most oceanic environments, energy for chemosynthesis derives from reactions in which substances such as hydrogen sulfide ... s, cold seep s, and whale fall s. It has been hypothesized that chemosynthesis may support life below ... and sulfur from CO2, H2S, and water. Eric Kvaalen Process An example of a chemosynthesis reaction ... of energy. Some reactions produce sulfur, such as Hydrogen sulfide chemosynthesis CO sub 2 sub ... a novel life process called chemosynthesis. His discovery suggested that some microbes could live ... could thrive, and is generally credited with the discovery of chemosynthesis. Citation needed date January 2011 A 2004 television series hosted by Bill Nye named chemosynthesis as one of the 100 ... nanotechnology The term chemosynthesis is also used in molecular nanotechnology broadly to refer to any .... Use of the term chemosynthesis reinforces the view that this is feasible by pointing out that several ... more details
Orphan date February 2009 Lithoautotrophy is a special type of chemotroph chemoautotrophy found in Archaea and Bacteria . Lithoautotrophic organisms utilize inorganic compounds as energy sources. The word lithoautotrophy means to feed it or oneself from stone . In ancient Greek, lithos means stone or rock, autos self, and trophein to feed. References http www.iu bremen.de discussion attachment.php?s 78554fa3d0bc304e8d0a4b05ea8c71d3&postid 69823 Ecosystems and Nutrient Cycles Chemosynthesis ecology stub Category Ecology Category Microbial growth and nutrition ... more details
Information Description Sergei Winogradsky , microbiologist, ecologist, and soil scientist, pioneered the biogeochemical cycle concept, discovered lithotrophy and chemosynthesis , invented the Winogradsky column for breeding of microorganisms Source http www.polit.ru science 2009 07 07 vinogradsky print.html Date 16 04, 14 October 2010 UTC Author unknown Permission PD other versions Licensing PD RusEmpire ... more details
italictitle Taxobox name Bathymodiolus image Bathymodiolus childressi.jpg image caption Bathymodiolus childressi regnum Animal ia phylum Mollusk Mollusca classis Bivalvia subclassis Pteriomorphia ordo Mytiloida familia Mytilidae genus Bathymodiolus subdivision ranks Species subdivision See text. Bathymodiolus is a genus of deep sea Chemosynthesis chemosynthetic mussel s. Species Species within the genus Bathymodiolus include Bathymodiolus childressi Bathymodiolus japonicus Bathymodiolus platifrons Bathymodiolus septemdierum Bathymodiolus thermophilus File Bathymodiolus thermophilus.png left thumb Bathymodiolus thermophilus References reflist Wikispecies Bathymodiolus commons category Bathymodiolus Category Mytilidae fr Bathymodiolus ... more details
Refimprove date March 2008 The current solar income of the Earth , or an ecozone or ecoregion or any area, is the amount of solar energy that falls on it as sunlight. This is thought important in some branches of green economics , as the ultimate measure of renewable energy . Buckminster Fuller first described the concept in his 1970 paper Cosmic Costing , contrasting the photosynthesis on which natural capital and sustainability sustainable infrastructural capital depend, with the chemosynthesis of extracting and using fossil fuel s. Paul Hawken is a more recent advocate of the concept, and views it as central to his notion of a restorative economy . It remains a popular notion among those who believe that toxic waste and maintenance problems of direct solar energy devices can ultimately be overcome, or that yields of passive or biological means of gathering and using this energy as biofuel s can be made to approximate those of fossil fuels. See also Howard Odum Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky solar constant Category Buckminster Fuller Category Renewable energy economy ... more details
New unreviewed article source ArticleWizard date February 2011 Trophosome is an organ found in the coelomic cavity of the giant tube worm , Riftia pachyptila . Symbiotic bacteria in the trophosome oxidize sulfur found in the tube worm s environment and produce organic molecules that the worm can use as an energy source. ref name LazyDog group Ref This process is known as chemosynthesis. References See Wikipedia Footnotes on how to create references using ref ref tags which will then appear here automatically Reflist references group Ref ref name LazyDog Somero, G.N. Symbiotic Exploitation of Hydrogen Sulfide. Physiology 2 , 3 6, 1987. ref references External links http www.pbs.org wgbh nova abyss life twsanstrophosome.html Categories Uncategorized date February 2011 Category Articles created via the Article Wizard ... more details
Taxobox name Ozark cavefish image Amblyopsis rosae.jpg image width 240px status VU status system iucn2.3 regnum Animal ia phylum Chordata classis Actinopterygii ordo Percopsiformes familia Amblyopsidae genus Amblyopsis species A. rosae binomial Amblyopsis rosae The Ozark cavefish , Amblyopsis rosae , is a small subterranean freshwater fish native to the United States . It has been listed as a threatened species in the United States since 1984, the IUCN lists the species as vulnerable. While the Ozark cavefish is listed as threatened by the U.S. it is listed as endangered by the Missouri Department of Conservation. The Ozark cavefish is pinkish white and reaches a maximum length of two inches 5 cm . The head is flattened, and it has a slightly protruding lower jaw. The fish has no pelvic fin the dorsal fin dorsal and anal fins are farther back than on most fish. The Ozark cave fish can receive nutrients without photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, by the tree roots above the cave. The Ozark cavefish has only rudimentary eyes and no optic nerve . The Ozark cavefish lives only in caves. It has no pigmentation and a loss of unused characters. However, it is well adapted to a cave environment through well developed sensory wiktionary Papillae papillae . They feed primarily on microscopic organisms, as well as small crustaceans and salamander larvae. The reproductive rate of Ozark cavefish is low compared to most other fish. Caves which have populations of the Ozark cavefish all have a relatively large source of nutrient s, such as bat guano or blown leaf litter. Water quality in caves that contain cavefish is usually high. Ozark cavefish are able to tolerate the extremely low oxygen content of ground water found in caves. Cavefish tend to occur in flowing cave streams as opposed to quiet pools. The ozark cave fish can receive nutrients with out photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, by the tree roots above the cave. The roots are full of nutrients and water. The roots are spread ... more details
Image Snottite.jpg thumb 450px right Snottites in Cueva de Villa Luz in Southern Mexico Snottites are colonies of cell biology single celled extremophile extremophilic bacteria . They hang from the walls and ceilings of cave s and are similar to small stalactite s, but have the consistency of snot , a slang word for mucus . The bacteria derive their energy from chemosynthesis of volcanic sulfur compounds including H sub 2 sub S and warm water solution dripping down from above, producing sulfuric acid . Because of this, their waste products are highly acidic approaching pH 0 , with similar properties to battery acid . ref http www.bbc.co.uk programmes b00qyxfb ref Snottites were recently brought to attention by researchers Diana Northup and Penny Boston , studying them and other organisms in a toxic sulfur cave called Cueva de Villa Luz Cave of the Lighted House , in Tabasco , Mexico . The term snottite was originally given to these cave features by Jim Pisarowicz in 1986. Brian Cox physicist Brian Cox s BBC series Wonders of the Solar System saw the scientist examining snottites in the caves and positing that, if there is life on Mars , it may be similarly primitive and hidden beneath the surface of the Mars Red Planet . See also Archaea References Reflist External links http www.nasa.gov vision universe solarsystem cave slime.html NASA site http www.caveslime.org Slime Team Site Extremophile Category Speleothems Category Sulphophiles Category Cave organisms Category Microbiology bacteria stub ... more details
Movile Cave lang ro Pe tera Movile is a cave in Constan a County , Romania discovered by Cristian Lascu in 1986 a few kilometers from the Black Sea coast. It is notable for its unique groundwater ecosystem rich in hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide but very poor in oxygen . Life in the cave has been separated from the outside for the past 5.5 million years and it is based completely on chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis . 48 species were found inside the cave, of which 33 are Endemism endemic . References Jean Balthazar Grenzen unseres Wissens. Orbis Verlag, M nchen 2003, Seite 268, ISBN 3 572 01370 4. Serban M. S rbu Thomas C. Kane Brian K. Kinkle, A Chemoautotrophically Based Cave Ecosystem , in Science journal Science , Vol. 272, No. 5270. Jun. 28, 1996 , pp. 1953 1955. External links http web.archive.org web 20050902194350 http www.geocities.com RainForest Vines 5771 index.htm The Movile Cave Project at web.archive.org http www.dinosoria.com grotte movile.htm La Grotte de Movile fr. http www.internationales buero.de media ROM 01 010 AB 2004.pdf Untersuchung der Mikroflora In Movile Cave pdf, germ. http web.archive.org web 20091020194835 geocities.com RainForest Vines 5771 4research.htm Papers published about Movile Cave Category Caves of Romania Category Constan a County de H hle von Movile es Cueva de Movile fr Grotte de Movile it Grotta di Movile nds H hl von Movile pl Movile ro Pe tera Movile sv Movilegrottan ... more details
Bacterioplankton refers to the bacterium bacterial component of the plankton that drifts in the water column. The name comes from the Ancient Greek word lang grc lang grc Latn planktos , meaning wanderer or drifter Thurman, 1997 , and lang la bacterium , a Latin neologism coined in the 19th century by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg . They are found in both seawater and freshwater . Bacterioplankton occupy a range of ecological niche s in aquatic systems. Many are saprotroph ic, and obtain energy by consuming organic material produced by other organisms. This material may be Dissolved Organic Carbon dissolved in the medium and taken directly from there, or bacteria may live and grow in association with particulate material such as marine snow . Many other bacterioplankton species are autotroph ic, and derive energy from either photosynthesis or chemosynthesis . The former are often categorised as phytoplankton picophytoplankton , and include cyanobacteria l groups such as Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus . Bacterioplankton also play roles in ecological pathways such as nitrogen fixation , nitrification , denitrification , remineralisation and methanogen esis. Like other small plankton, the bacterioplankton are predation preyed upon by zooplankton usually protozoa ns , and their numbers are also controlled through infection by bacteriophage s. See also Cyanobacteria Pelagibacter Phytoplankton Plankton Zooplankton References cite book last Thurman first H. V. year 1997 title Introductory Oceanography publisher Prentice Hall College location New Jersey, USA isbn 0 13 262072 3 External links http thalassa.cbl.umces.edu MO2006 Typical Marine bacterioplankton http thalassa.cbl.umces.edu MO2006 marbac.html A list of Seawater Bacteria http halia.hik.se mbd start.jsp Marine Bacterioplankton Database plankton Category Biological oceanography Category Planktology Category Aquatic ecology de Bakterio und Virioplankton et Bakterioplankton fr Bact rioplancton pl Bakteriop ... more details
from above or from eating other creatures that have derived their food through the process of chemosynthesis ... BL Web Chemistry Bot generated title ref Chemosynthesis Since at such deep levels, there is little ... in the form of bacteria that live inside of it. These bacteria are capable of chemosynthesis and live ... Chemosynthesis Bot generated title ref Deep Sea Research Image ALVIN submersible.jpg right thumb ... NeMO Explorer Good resource on chemosynthesis http www.deepseamonsters.com Deep Sea Monsters Good ... more details
Taxobox name Alvinellidae regnum Animal ia phylum Annelida classis Polychaeta subclassis Palpata ordo Canalipalpata ordo Terebellida familia Alvinellidae familia authority Desbruy res & Laubier, 1986 subdivision ranks Genus Genera subdivision Alvinella br Paralvinella The Alvinellidae are a family of small, deep sea polychaete worm s endemic to hydrothermal vent s in the Pacific Ocean . Belonging to the order Terebellida , the family contains two genera, Alvinella and Paralvinella the former genus contains two valid species and the latter eight. Members of the family are termed alvinellids . The family was first described in 1979 after discoveries made off the Gal pagos Islands by the crew of the Deep Submergence Vehicle DSV DSV Alvin Alvin . The ship subsequently lent its name to the family and genera within it. The worms build mucus tubes and extend red feathery gills. Members of the Alvinellidae are noted for their exceptional heat tolerance one species, the Pompeii worm Alvinella pompejana , is thought to be the most heat tolerant complex organism on Earth. Mitochondria start to break down at temperatures of 122 131 F 50 55 C , apparently providing an upper limit for eukaryote s. Under laboratory conditions, in a pressurized aquarium with a heat gradient, worms of the species Paralvinella sulfincola , chose water heated to 122 F 50 C and made brief forays into water as hot as 131 F 55 C . ref http www.cnn.com 2006 TECH science 04 14 hot.worms.reut index.html CNN.com Study finds worms thriving in hot water 14 April 2006 ref Unlike other chemosynthesis chemosynthetic vent dwelling worms, alvinellid worms possess a digestive tract. However, they do rely on an symbiosis episymbiotic relationship with thermophile thermophilic bacteria hair like growths of the bacteria living on the worm s back are thought to offer thermal protection to the worm. Family Alvinellidae Genus Alvinella Species Alvinella caudata Species Alvinella pompejana Pompeii worm Genus Paralvinella S ... more details
at her first choice Harvard. ref name tenure Discovery of chemosynthesis Image Nur04505.jpg ... . ref name tenure A 2004 television mini series hosted by Bill Nye named chemosynthesis as one ... more details
NOTOC Molecular engineering is any means of manufacturing molecule s. It may be used to create, on an extremely small scale, most typically one at a time, new molecules which may not exist in nature, or be stable beyond a very narrow range of conditions. Today this is an extremely difficult process, requiring manual manipulation of molecules using such devices as a scanning tunneling microscope . Eventually it is expected to exploit life like self replicating helper molecules that are themselves engineered. Thus the field can be seen as a precision form of chemical engineering that includes protein engineering , the creation of protein molecules, a process that occurs naturally in biochemistry , e.g., prion reproduction. However, it provides far more control than genetic modification of an existing genome , which must rely strictly on existing biochemistry to express genes as proteins, and has little power to produce any non proteins. Molecular engineering is an important part of pharmacology pharmaceutical research and materials science . Emergence of scanning tunneling microscopes and Modelocking picosecond burst laser s in the 1990s, plus discovery of new carbon nanotube applications to motivate mass production of these custom molecules, drove the field forward to commercial reality in the 2000s. As it matures, it is seeming to converge with mechanical engineering , since the molecules being designed often resemble small machines. A general theory of molecular mechanosynthesis to parallel that of photosynthesis and chemosynthesis both used by living things is the ultimate goal of the field. This may lead to a molecular assembler , according to some, such as K. Eric Drexler , Ralph Merkle , and Robert Freitas , and of the potential for integrating vast numbers of assemblers into a kg scale nanofactory . Molecular engineering is sometimes called generically nanotechnology , in reference to the nanometre scale at which its basic processes must operate. That term is ... more details
selfref For the synthesis policy in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia Synthesis wiktionary synthesis synthesis synthesised synthesize synthesized tocright In general, the noun synthesis from the ancient Greek Polytonic , with and placing refers to a combination of two or more entities that together form something new. The corresponding verb, to synthesize or synthesise , means to make or form a synthesis . Synthesis or synthezise may also refer to Science Chemistry and biochemistry Chemical synthesis , the execution of chemical reactions to form a more complex molecule from chemical precursors Organic synthesis , the chemical synthesis of organic compounds Total synthesis , the complete organic synthesis of complex organic compounds, usually without the aid of biological processes Convergent synthesis or linear synthesis, a strategy to improve the efficiency of multi step chemical syntheses Dehydration reaction Dehydration synthesis , a chemical synthesis resulting in the loss of a water molecule Paal Knorr synthesis , a chemical reaction named after Carl Paal and Ludwig Knorr Biosynthesis , the creation of an organic compound in a living organism, usually aided by enzymes Photosynthesis , a biochemical reaction using a carbon molecule to produce an organic molecule, using sunlight as a catalyst Chemosynthesis , the synthesis of biological compounds into organic waste, using methane or an oxidized molecule as a catalyst Amino acid synthesis , the synthesis of an amino acid from its constituents Peptide synthesis , the biochemical synthesis of peptides using amino acids Protein biosynthesis , the multi step biochemical synthesis of proteins long peptides DNA synthesis disambiguation , several biochemical processes for making DNA DNA replication , DNA biosynthesis in vivo Synthesis cell cycle Transcription genetics RNA synthesis , the synthesis of RNA from nucleic acids, using another nucleic acid chain as a template ATP synthase ATP synthesis , the biochemi ... more details
File NOAAseep 600CratersBrinePools.jpg thumb These craters mark the formation of brine pools, from which salt has seeped through the seafloor and encrusted the nearby substrate. File Brine pool.jpg thumb NOAA rendering of a brine pool in the Gulf of Mexico . File seepmussels.jpg thumb Chimaeridae fish and seep mussels at edge of brine pool. Brine pools are large areas of brine on the ocean floor ocean basin . These pools are bodies of water that have a salinity three to five times greater than the surrounding ocean. For deep sea brine pools, the source of the salt is the dissolution of large sodium chloride salt deposits through salt tectonics . The brine often contains high concentrations of methane, providing energy to chemosynthesis chemosynthetic animals that live near the pool. These creatures are often extremophiles . ref http www.resa.net nasa ocean methane.htm Extremophile life near brine pools ref ref name microbiology Eder, Wolfgang, Jahnke, Linda L., Schmidt, Mark, and Huber, Robert. Applied and Environmental Biology, 17 April 2001. Microbial Diversity of the Brine Seawater Interface of the Kebrit Deep, Red Sea, Studied via 16S rRNA Gene Sequences and Cultivation Methods . Accessed 10 August 2010. http www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc articles PMC92984 ref Brine pools are also known to exist on the Antarctic Continental Shelf Antarctic Shelf where the source of brine is salt excluded during formation of sea ice. Deep sea and Antarctic brine pools can be toxic to marine animals. Characteristics Brine pools are sometimes called seafloor lakes because the dense brine does not easily mix with overlying seawater. The high salinity raises the density of the brine, which creates a distinct surface and shoreline for the pool. ref name NOAA http oceanexplorer.noaa.gov explorations 02mexico background brinepool brinepool.html NOAA exploration of a brine pool ref Support of life Deep sea brine pools often coincide with cold seep activity. Methane released by the seep is pro ... more details
File Deep sea vent chemistry diagram.jpg thumb 400px right A diagram showing ocean chemistry around deep sea vents Ocean chemistry , also known as marine chemistry , is influenced by turbidity Ocean current currents , sediment s, pH levels, atmosphere atmoshperic constituents, metamorphic activity, and ecology . The field of chemical oceanography studies the chemistry of marine environments including the influences of different variables. Marine chemistry on Earth The marine chemist s that study the science of oceanography discovered special marine environments are created around black smoker s and cold seep s on the seabed ocean floor , with entire ecosystems of organisms that have a symbiotic relationship with chemotroph bacteria and hydrocarbon compounds that provided energy through a process called chemosynthesis . Scientific studies have also shown the impact of increased carbon dioxide levels in the Earth s atmosphere on ocean chemistry from anthropogenic factors is an important area of study related to global warming and climate change . Researchers are studying how anthropogenic factors will impact and influence ocean chemistry and the related ecology of marine Environment biophysical environment s over the short and long term. Scientists have expressed concern over increased carbon dioxide levels being absorbed into the oceans and causing acidification. ref name Pacific sea life Craig Welch http www.timesdispatch.com rtd lifestyles health med fit article I OYST0619 20090702 182408 277688 Shift in Pacific s chemistry may be killing sea life July 4, 2009 Seattle Times ref The phenomenon has been implicated by scientists studying declining oyster populations on the pacific coast of the United States. ref name Pacific sea life One proposal suggests dumping massive amounts of lime material lime , a Base chemistry base , to reverse the acidification and increase the sea s ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere . ref Duncan Clark http www.guardian.co ... more details
seealso Biomass ecology In ecology, productivity or production refers to the rate of generation of biomass in an ecosystem. It is usually expressed in units of mass per unit surface or volume per unit time, for instance Gram grams per square metre per day . The mass unit may relate to dry matter or to the mass of carbon based life carbon generated. Productivity of autotroph s such as plant s is called primary productivity , while that of heterotroph s such as animal s is called secondary productivity . ref name allaby cite book editor1 first Michael editor1 last Allaby title A Dictionary of Ecology url http www.oxfordreference.com views ENTRY.html?subview Main&entry t14.e4512 accessdate 2009 12 03 edition Third year 2006 origyear 1994 publisher Oxford University Press location Oxford, UK isbn 9780198609056 ref Primary production main Primary production Primary production is the synthesis of new organic material from inorganic molecules such as H sub 2 sub O and CO sub 2 sub . It is dominated by the process of photosynthesis which uses sunlight to synthesise organic molecules such as sugar s, although chemosynthesis represents a small fraction of primary production. Organisms responsible for primary production include land plants, marine algae and some bacteria including cyanobacteria . Secondary production Secondary production is the generation of biomass of heterotroph ic consumer organisms in a system. This is driven by the transfer of organic material between trophic level s, and represents the quantity of new tissue biology tissue created through the use of assimilated food. Secondary production is sometimes defined to only include consumption of primary producers by herbivory herbivorous consumers ref cite web url http filaman.ifm geomar.de Glossary Glossary.php?q secondary production&language english&sc is title Definition of term Secondary production author date accessdate 2009 12 03 work The Glossary Table publisher FishBase accessdate 2009 12 03 ref with te ... more details
The hydrothermal vents and seamounts of the Azores lang pt fontes hidrotermais e montes submarinos dos A ores are a series of seamount s which part of the Mid Atlantic Ridge and extensive field of hydrothermal vent s located in the Azores . Made up of large masses of basalt typical of mid ocean regions, these formations, in addition to their geomorphological interest as rich deposits of ore s , are homes to a rich biodiversity of plant and animal life on Earth . They contain food chain s whose primary production is purely chemosynthesis chemosynthetic , independent of sunlight, and photosynthesis . Description Efforts are being made to classify these areas as protected marine areas under the Convention for the Protection of the North Mid Atlantic OSPAR Convention and in accordance with the requirements of the Habitats Directive. The World Wide Fund for Nature World Wildlife Fund recognizes these efforts, awarding the Azorean regional government with the honorific Gift to the Earth prize for their contribution to the preservation of these marine ecosystems. The Azores have an extensive marine area with a variety of seamounts and submarine volcano es, representing the highest peaks of a complex chain of seamounts located in the Mid Atlantic Ridge that are home to a diverse group of living creatures. The isolated Dom Jo o de Castro Bank , located between S o Miguel Island S o Miguel and Terceira Island Terceira , is one such seamount included in this group. The hydrothermal vents located near it provide a good place to study the creatures that live in volcanic habitats. The Azores also provide a good place to study deep ocean hydrothermal vents. Deep ocean hydrothermal vents, situated along the Mid Atlantic Ridge, have been the target of various investigative projects by many types of scientists. Recently, some interesting communities of living creatures were discovered in the Lucky Strike and Menez Gwen hydrothermal fields, both located in the Azores Exclusive Economi ... more details
known as chemosynthesis, the process by which organisms derive energy from a number of different ... and Investigation of Chemosynthesis, 1880 1910 Journal of the History of Biology 39 373 406. Ackert ... more details
Encyclopedia
top
