In 1998, researchers at the University of Hawaii found that in the deep North Sea, 12,490 organisms of at least 43 species depended on whale fall to survive. Some of these marine creatures-including rare species in clams, worms and blind shrimp-eat a little bit of residue next to the carcass. These whales can be self-supporting, meaning that they can produce food on their own through chemical reactions. Except that it does not need to obtain sunlight (because sunlight cannot pass through deep water), chemical energy autotrophic is similar to plant photosynthesis.
A deeper study of this novel ecosystem revealed that the bacteria would eat the bones of a whale, which contains 60% of fat. The bacteria then make hydrogen sulfide, a chemical that smells like rotten eggs. Hundreds of thousands of chemoautotrophic marine organisms turn hydrogen sulfide into energy for their breeding and reproduction.
The phenomenon of whale sinking into the ocean floor after death is called whale fall. When a whale dies in the ocean, its body eventually sinks to the ocean floor. Biologists gave this process a name— (Whale Fall).
The body of a whale can support a decomposer-based circulation system for hundreds of years.
