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At hydrothermal vents, some bacteria obtain energy from:
ASurface plankton
BVolcanic sound waves
CInorganic chemicals
DDirect sunlight
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Inorganic chemicals
1. No light reaches the deep sea floor, so photosynthesis is impossible there.
2. Life at those depths still needs an energy source.
3. In environments such as hydrothermal vents, some bacteria extract energy from inorganic chemicals because there is no light for photosynthesis.
4. Those bacteria are the base of the entire vent food web.
_Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 35 'Ecology and the Biosphere', sections 35.1-35.5_
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