Though photosynthesis cannot occur in the deep, there is another form of nutrient production that takes its place at hydrothermal vents. So if the energy is not coming from the sun, where is it coming from? And yet, the deep sea is complex in its biodiversity. It might be enough to sustain an abundance of detrivores, or small filter feeders like sponges, but this alone is not enough to support a complex biological community. There is only marine snow, bringing down the leftovers from above. There are no plants here to fulfil the role of nutrient producers. With no sunlight, photosynthesis cannot occur below 200 metres in the Twilight Zone. A nutrient-rich supply of food, known as marine snow. But amidst the productive frenzy of the shallow open ocean, animals excrete, and die, and moult, creating a trickle of organic material that begins to sink downwards. The herbivores become food themselves for secondary consumers, which make up the top two levels of the food web. They assimilate what’s left of the chemical energy, using it themselves to grow and move. Herbivores, or primary consumers, such as zooplankton or turtles and manatees, feed primarily on the plants and phytoplankton. Though they are tiny, these plankton play a large role, producing the carbon that supports nearly all marine life, as well as producing 50% of Earth’s oxygen. Photosynthesising organisms that use energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and chemical energy stored as glucose. On land and in the shallows, this is the job the plants, and single-celled plankton. There must be organisms capable of synthesising organic molecules from energy. At the bottom of every food web, whether it is terrestrial or marine, there must be a source of nutrients.
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