Name: __________________________
Per:________
WS 4.5 - Deep Ocean Basin.
How a Bologna Sandwich Changed the way we think About the Deep Ocean
On October 16, 1968, researchers on board the Lulu, a naval catamaran, lowered the deep-sea
submersible Alvin and its three crew members into the Atlantic some 135 miles off the coast of Woods Hole,
Massachusetts for what amounted to an
underwater whale watch. Then two steel
support cables snapped and water poured
in through an open hatch. The crew
escaped relatively unscathed (Ed Bland, the
pilot, sprained his ankle), and the Alvin
plunged 4,900 feet down, where it stayed
for days and then, on account of rough
seas, months.
When the submersible was finally
floated again the following year, scientists
discovered something unexpected: the
crew’s lunch—stainless steel Thermoses
with imploded plastic tops, meat-flavored
bouillon, apples, bologna sandwiches
wrapped in wax paper—were exceptionally
well-preserved. Except for discoloration of
the bologna and the apples’ pickled
appearances, the stuff looked almost as
fresh as the day the Alvin accidentally went
all the way under. (The authors apparently
did a taste test; they said the meat broth
was “perfectly palatable.”)
The authors report that after 10
months of deep-sea conditions, the food
“exhibited a degree of preservation that, in
the case of fruit, equaled that of careful
storage and, in the case of starch and proteinaceous materials, appeared to surpass by far that of normal
refrigeration.” Was the ocean bottom a kind of desert—a place barren of the vast microbial fauna found
flourishing on earth? (Here the authors make an appeal for landfills and caution against dumping garbage into
the ocean, where decomposition appeared to have slowed to a near stop.) Or was something else slowing
microbial growth?
Four decades later, food scientists are floating the latter idea. Because water exerts a downward
pressure—at 5,000 feet down, it’s about 2,200 pounds per square inch, more than enough to rupture your
eardrums—the depth of the Alvin’s temporary resting place probably acted as a preservative for the bologna
sandwiches. At sea level, this kind of ultra high-pressure processing is used for a variety of foods, including
oysters, lobsters, guacamole and fruit juices. In a study published in 2012, a team of Spanish food scientists
juiced strawberries and stored the liquid inside various pressurized chambers. Even at room temperature, they
found that high-pressure (hyperbaric) storage slowed the growth of microbes that would otherwise spoil the
juice. They suggest that the technology might even prove to be more effective than freezing or refrigerating.
And they say the promise of this novel food-processing technology was first demonstrated by the accidental
sinking of sandwiches on board the submersible.
1. What part of the deep ocean basin did Alvin most likely land on?
2. What are the 2 main methods of feeding in this aria?
3. Why would bacteria in this aria have evolved to have such slow metabolisms?
The Giant Tube Worm
The giant tube worm, also known as Riftia pachyptila, was totally unknown to science until researchers
exploring the deep Pacific Ocean floor discovered strange, hydrothermal vents. Powered by volcanic heat, these
vents recirculate water that seeps down through cracks or faults in the rock. When the water emerges from the
vent, it is rich in chemicals and minerals. This toxic soup of chemicals would be lethal to most animals, so
scientists were shocked to find entire ecosystems of animals living around these vents. In spite of the near
boiling temperature of the water, these animals were thriving in the complete absence of light. The organisms
that live near these vents are unique because, unlike all other living things on earth, they do not depend on
sunlight for their source of energy. Instead, they feed on tiny bacteria that get their energy directly from the
chemicals in the water through a process known as chemosynthesis. These hydrothermal vents are known as
"black smokers" because of the dark color of the material they eject. The giant tube worms are closely related to
the many smaller species of tube worms that inhabit shallower waters. These giant tube worms grow up to eight
feet (over two meters) in length and have no mouth and no digestive tract. They depend on bacteria that live
inside them for their food. This type of mutually beneficial relationship between two organisms is known as
symbiosis. The bacteria actually convert the chemicals from the hydrothermal vents into organic molecules that
provide food for the worm. Perhaps the most noticeable characteristic of these worms is their bright red plume.
This is a specialized organ used for exchanging compounds such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen
sulphide with the seawater. The bright red color comes from the presence of large amounts of hemoglobin
(blood). It is this plume that provides nutrients to the bacteria that live inside the worm. As amazing as these
vent ecosystems are, they are also extremely fragile. As the Earth's crust shifts due to geothermal activity, the
supply of chemicals through the vents can be cut off. When this happens, all of the incredible creatures that
depend on these chemicals will wither and die. Scientists have returned to once thriving vent sites only to find
them completely cold and dead. But the cycle begins again when new hydrothermal cents begin to grow
elsewhere on the deep sea floor.
Questions:
4. What part of the deep ocean basin
does the Giant tube worm live in?
5. What is the primary source of
energy in this region?
6. What organism is considered to
be the primary producer in the
giant tube worm?
7. What type of relationship does the Giant Tube worm have with the chemosynthetic bacteria?
8. What trophic level would a crab that eats giant tube worm plume be considered?
Questions:
9. What part of the deep ocean basin is pictured above?
10. What is the primary source of energy in this region?
11. What organism is considered to be the primary producer?
Whale Fall Bacteria & Tide Cold Water
The falls of large whales yield massive pulses of labile organic matter to the deep-sea floor. While scientists
have long speculated on the ecological roles of such concentrated food inputs, observations have accumulated
since the 1850s to suggest that deep-sea whale falls support a large ecosystem. Interest in whale-fall ecology
heightened with the discovery in 1989 of a particular form of chemotropic bacteria that has only been found on
whale falls. Related communities of bacteria were soon reported from whale falls in other bathyal and abyssal
Pacific and Atlantic sites, and from 30 million year old sights in the northeast Pacific fossil record. Recent timeseries studies of whale falls off California indicate that the carcasses passed through at least three successive
stages. It is during the third stage when a chemotropic bacteria inhabit the bones of the former whale. This
final stage can last for decades, and is categorized by the new complex food web that lives on the skeleton as it
emits sulphide gas from the anaerobic breakdown of bone lipids. Local species diversity on large whale
skeletons during the third stage is higher than in any other deep-sea community like cold seeps and
hydrothermal vents. Finally, whale-fall bacteria have proven to be a novel source of cold-adapted enzymes of
potential utility in cold-water detergents. Without whale fall bacteria, you would never have to view those
stupid Tide commercials that advertise how much money you save by washing your cloths in cold water with
cold water tide.
Questions:
12. What ecosystem would a dead seal be considered?
13. Can there be primary production in this area?
14. How does this area relate to hydrothermal vents?