Deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems are typically characterized by their reliance on chemosynthesis, where microbes convert chemical energy from vent fluids into organic matter. However, marine biologist Marcus Vance has identified several vent sites where photosynthetic microbes utilize geothermal radiation—the faint infrared glow emitted by superheated water��to perform a form of non-solar photosynthesis. This discovery challenges the long-held paradigm that photosynthesis is strictly dependent on sunlight reaching the photic zone. Consequently, Vance's research suggests that primary production in the deep ocean may be more diverse and widespread than previously assumed, requiring a revision of ecological models for aphotic environments.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
- AIt outlines the study's ultimate conclusion regarding the need to revise existing ecological models of aphotic zones.
- BIt supports the opening assertion that deep-sea ecosystems are defined by their exclusive reliance on chemosynthetic microbes.
- It introduces a specific finding that challenges a prevailing assumption about the types of biological processes occurring in deep-sea environments.Cevap
- DIt explains the biochemical mechanism by which geothermal radiation is converted into energy during non-solar photosynthesis.