| One of the most conspicuous groups of animals living in deep-sea chemosynthetic communities at hydrothermal vents are large vestimentiferan tube worms. |
| Scientists have identified over 300 species of life, including fish, tubeworms, clams, and chemosynthetic bacteria living around these vents. |
| In these locations, chemosynthetic archaea and bacteria typically form the base of the food chain. |
| These organisms are referred to as chemoautotrophic, or chemosynthetic, as opposed to photosynthetic, organisms. |
| Both ChEss and the Authority are concerned with the protection of chemosynthetic ecosystems found at hydrothermal vent sites from human impact. |
| Seep communities are also based on microbial chemosynthetic primary production and share a few species and many genera with hydrothermal vent communities. |
