Pompeii Worm (Alvinella pompejana)
The Pompeii Worm's Habitat
The Pompeii worm pokes its head out of its sweltering tube home at the base of a hydrothermal vent.
The Pompeii worm lives among the sea bed and in hydrothermal vents. Along with the Pompeii worm, animals such as crabs, amphipods, and sea clams lives amongst the sea bed. Water, rocks, sand, mud and seaweed surrounds them. The animals that join the Pompeii worm in living around the hydrothermal vents are eelpount fish, hydrothermal vent crabs and giant tubeworms. These organisms have made an adaptation to live around extreme heat. Sand, heat, flowers, and water surrounds these communities.
Human Effects
Humans have an negative effect on the Pompeii worm. Humans pollute ocean water which is the habitat of the Pompeii worm. Pollution can kill or mutate the worms.
Humans have an negative effect on the Pompeii worm. Humans pollute ocean water which is the habitat of the Pompeii worm. Pollution can kill or mutate the worms.
Pompeii Food Web
The resistance can potentially affect the food web by the Pompeii worm by the hotter the vents get the more resistant the worms have to come. Over time the worm adapts to the heat. Prey may not be able to withstand the heat , thus giving up on the prey. There will be an over population of pompeii worm. The organism's population that the pompeii worm eats will decrease.
How the Pompeii worm possed this "power"
The Pompeii worm is able to with stand these extremely hot temperature by creating a symbolic relationship with thermophilic bacteria. These bacteria act as firefighters’ blankets, shielding the worms from intermittent blasts of hot, metal-rich water. In return the Pompeii worm's glands on its back feeds the bacteria. This symbolic relationship happened over time through evolution. The bacteria helps the Pompeii worm withstand heat up to 176 °F (80 °C), while their feather-like head sticks out of the tubes into
water that is a much cooler 72 °F (22 °C).
The Pompeii worm is able to with stand these extremely hot temperature by creating a symbolic relationship with thermophilic bacteria. These bacteria act as firefighters’ blankets, shielding the worms from intermittent blasts of hot, metal-rich water. In return the Pompeii worm's glands on its back feeds the bacteria. This symbolic relationship happened over time through evolution. The bacteria helps the Pompeii worm withstand heat up to 176 °F (80 °C), while their feather-like head sticks out of the tubes into
water that is a much cooler 72 °F (22 °C).
Sources :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/habitats/Hydrothermal_vent
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/habitats/Benthic_zone
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/animals/news-hottest-animal-world