Which process sustains hydrothermal vent ecosystems along mid-ocean ridge transform faults?

💡 Explanation

When seawater seeps into fractured crust along transform faults, chemosynthesis by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria occurs because dissolved chemicals react with the vent fluids, producing energy. Therefore chemosynthesis sustains vent ecosystems, rather than energy from geothermal light, detritus, or rock particles which lack sufficient energy or nutrients.

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