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| Description: The autotrophs upon which these submarine oases depend are chemosynthetic bacteria. Some of the most common are sulfur oxidizers, bacteria that use CO2 as a source of carbon and get their energy by oxidizing elemental sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, or thiosulfite. The submarine volcanic vents with which these organisms are associated discharge large quantities of sulfide-rich warm water. The sulfur-oxidizing bacteria that exploit this resource around the vents are of two types: free-living forms and those that live within the tissues of a variety of invertebrate animals, including the giant tube worms.
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