"Life Without Light" A tour through the Cold-Seep Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico

Tubeworms
Ecology

In the Gulf of Mexico enough sulfide comes out of the sediment to reach the gill-like plumes of the young tubeworms (which stick out of the top of their tubes) as shown in the lower left panel. Our current studies indicate that the adult tubeworms in large "bushes" may take up the sulfide from the sediment using the root-like end of their tubes, as shown in the upper right panel. Click on growth to learn about our technique of measuring the growth of these worms.