Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log In/Create Account
  • BioInteractive Resources
  • Planning Tools
  • Professional Development
  • About Us

Activity for How Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents

Image of a tubeworm

Topic

  • Microbiology
  • Bacteria
  • Microbial Ecology
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Zoology
  • Ecology
  • Matter & Energy

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Film Activities

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Saved By
16 Users
Share This

Description

This activity explores the content presented in the animated video How Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents, which tells the story of the symbiotic relationship between the giant tube worm and chemosynthetic bacteria.

In this animated video, Ed Yong and Colleen Cavanaugh describe an unexpected ecosystem at the bottom of the ocean: a rich community of species living in complete darkness and surrounded by hydrothermal vents that spew superheated water and toxic compounds. This community includes the giant tube worm, Riftia pachyptila, an unusual animal that has no mouth or anus. Cavanaugh explains that symbiotic bacteria inside the tube worm use hydrogen sulfide spewed from the vents as an energy source for themselves and for the worms. This case describes a remarkable example of a symbiotic relationship helping to support life in extreme conditions.

The “Student Handout” probes students’ understanding of the key concepts addressed in the film. The “Educator Materials” document provides suggested pause points in the film with questions for students, background information, and detailed discussion points; a list of related resources and references; and an answer key for the “Student Handout.”

Student Learning Targets

  • Describe the nature and consequences of the symbiotic relationship between the giant tube worm and chemosynthetic bacteria in hydrothermal vents.

Estimated Time

One 50-minute class period.

Key Terms

chemosynthesis, energy, marine biology, mutualism, oceanography, sulfur oxidation, symbiosis, trophosome

Primary Literature

Ramirez-Llodra, Eva, Timothy M. Shank, and Christopher R. German. “Biodiversity and biogeography of hydrothermal vent species: Thirty years of discovery and investigations.” Oceanography 20, 1 (2007): 30–41. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2007.78.

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files partially meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 02.08.18
Date Updated 02.08.18

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS1-5, HS-LS2-3, HS-LS2-4; SEP6

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-1.I, ENE-1.O, ENE-4.B ; SP1

IB Biology (2016)

2.9, 4.1, 4.2

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 1.1, 1.9
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-1.A, ENG-1.B, SP1

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.1, 2.3

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-12.2, ELA.WHST.9-12.9

Vision and Change (2009)

CC2; DP1

Materials

Student Handout (PDF) 867 KB
Educator Materials (PDF) 1 MB
Anatomy Image (JPG) 6 MB

Use This Resource With

Video Resource
How Giant Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents

Explore Related Content

Other Resources About I Contain Multitudes

Showing of
Illustration of a magnifying glass showing bacteria on the outline of a body.
Film Activities
Activity for Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome
Image of a "wood snacks" commercial from the video
Film Activities
Activity for Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Photo of a bobtail squid
Film Activities
Activity for Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Image of Ed Yong with cartoon squid from the film
Animated Shorts
Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Screen shot of Ed Yong next to a poop emoji from the video
Animated Shorts
Fecal Microbiota Transplants
Screen shot of Ed Yong from the video
Animated Shorts
Can a Fungus Save Plants from Global Warming?
Image of Ed Yong eating wood from the film
Animated Shorts
Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Screen shot of Ed Yong from the video
Animated Shorts
Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome
Screen shot of Ed Yong from the video
Animated Shorts
Microbes from Mom: Vaginal Birth vs. C-Section
Screen shot of Ed Yong from the video
Animated Shorts
A World without Microbes
Image of Ed Yong from the film
Animated Shorts
How Giant Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Image of Ed Yong superimposed on a beewolf from the film
Animated Shorts
A Wasp Mom’s Gift: Blankets of Bacteria
Image of Ed Yong holding a drug capsule from the film
Animated Shorts
Superbugs That Resist Antibiotics Can Evolve in 11 Days

Other Resources About Symbiosis

Showing of
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Symbiotic Bioluminescence
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Bacterial Quorum Sensing
Image of a sea slug from the activity
Phenomenal Images
Slug Power
Image of a "wood snacks" commercial from the video
Film Activities
Activity for Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Photo of a bobtail squid
Film Activities
Activity for Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Part of a phylogenetic tree with many branches. Some branches are black, and others are orange.
Data Points
Evolution of Ant-Mimicking Beetles
3D animation of a bleached coral
Animations
Coral Bleaching
Image of Ed Yong with cartoon squid from the film
Animated Shorts
Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Screen shot of Ed Yong from the video
Animated Shorts
Can a Fungus Save Plants from Global Warming?
Image of Ed Yong eating wood from the film
Animated Shorts
Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Image of Ed Yong from the film
Animated Shorts
How Giant Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Image of Ed Yong superimposed on a beewolf from the film
Animated Shorts
A Wasp Mom’s Gift: Blankets of Bacteria
Computer image of squid from the activity
Phenomenal Images
Living Together

Other Related Resources

Showing of
Image of Ed Yong with cartoon squid from the film
Animated Shorts
Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Image of Ed Yong from the film
Animated Shorts
How Giant Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Image of Ed Yong eating wood from the film
Animated Shorts
Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Illustration of a magnifying glass showing bacteria on the outline of a body.
Film Activities
Activity for Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome
Screen shot of Ed Yong from the video
Animated Shorts
Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome
Screen shot of Ed Yong from the video
Animated Shorts
A World without Microbes
Photo of a wildebeest grazing
Card Activities
Nutrient Cycling in the Serengeti
Image from the activity
Labs & Demos
Winogradsky Columns: Microbial Ecology in the Classroom
Image of a Winogradsky column from the interactive
Click & Learn
Winogradsky Column: Microbial Ecology in a Bottle
Photo of a bobtail squid
Film Activities
Activity for Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility