tube worm

tube wormTube worms of the genus Lamellibrachia at the Daikoku submarine volcano in the Mariana Arc region.
vent tube worms (Riftia pachyptila)
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vent tube worms (Riftia pachyptila)Exotic biological communities exist near deep-sea vents; these ecosystems (which often support tube worms) are totally independent of energy from the Sun, depending not on photosynthesis but rather on chemosynthesis by sulfur-fixing bacteria.
hemoglobin
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hemoglobinGiant tube worms (Riftia pachyptila) at an undersea vent in the Pacific Ocean showing red hemoglobin-containing plumes.

tube worm, any of a number of tube-dwelling marine worms belonging to the annelid class Polychaeta (see polychaete; feather-duster worm; tentacle worm). Other tube-dwelling worms include the horseshoe worm (phylum Phoronida) and the beardworm (phylum Pogonophora).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Rachel Cole.
Citation Information
Article Title: tube worm
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 22 June 2012
Access Date: February 22, 2025