[1] In the pitch-black depths of the Mariana Trench, hydrothermal vents spew superheated, mineral-rich water into the freezing ocean. [2] For decades, scientists assumed these abyssal zones were barren deserts, devoid of life due to the crushing pressure and lack of sunlight. [3] However, recent expeditions have revealed thriving ecosystems clustered around these vents, sustained not by photosynthesis, but by chemosynthesis. [4] These organisms rely on specialized metabolic pathways to convert inorganic chemicals into energy, demonstrating a remarkable adaptation to an environment once thought entirely uninhabitable. [5] Specifically, certain species of bacteria form the foundation of this food web by extracting energy from the chemical bonds of hydrogen sulfide.
The writer wants to add a sentence after Sentence 1 that provides the most specific, concrete evidence of the extreme physical conditions under which these extremophiles survive. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?
- At depths exceeding 10,000 meters, these vents release fluids reaching temperatures of 400°C (752°F) under hydrostatic pressures that exceed 1,000 atmospheres.Cevap
- BThese unique ecosystems were first photographed by deep-submergence vehicles equipped with high-definition cameras.
- CThe hydrostatic pressure at the ocean floor is immensely crushing, the water temperature fluctuates wildly near the vents.
- DReaching temperatures hotter than molten lead, scientists recorded fluids spewing from vents under intense ocean pressure.