"Life Without Light" A tour through the Cold-Seep Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico

Tubeworms
Symbiosis

To live and grow, the tubeworms take up the dissolved gases (hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen) that their symbionts need from the water and transport the chemicals through their blood to their symbionts. The symbiotic bacteria use the hydrogen sulfide for energy and make food for the tube worm from the carbon dioxide (just like the way a plant makes food from sunlight and carbon dioxide). Click on ecology to find out more about how these gases are collected.