Trophosome
This organ of dark green-brown spongy tissue is where the real
action takes place. Here, the microbes that live symbiotically
in the worm make their home in special cells. (Quite a few
microbes live here: an estimated 285 billion bacteria per
ounce of tissue.) In exchange for a safe, cozy place to live,
they give the worm all the food it needs. They do this by
absorbing those three ingredients pumped down from the
plume—oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen
sulfide—and then controlling their reaction. In essence,
the microbes use the chemical energy released from the
oxidation of sulfide into sulfate to fix carbon dioxide into
the organic carbon that nourishes both the microbes and the
worm. It's a good deal for both creatures—until, that
is, the tubeworm decides to digest a few microbes for variety.
I mean, could you eat the same meal every day of your life?
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