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Glite Dictionary
chemosynthetic

chemosynthetic

1 7.7
Describing living things that make food from chemicals instead of sunlight
  • adjective
  • /ˌkiːmoʊsɪnˈθɛtɪk/
  • Specialized
: quimiosintético
  • The clams in this hydrothermal vent ecosystem are chemosynthetic, relying on chemicals released from the Earth's crust rather than sunlight.
  • chemosynthetic clams

Examples

  • I would have told him that... down here, it's not photosynthetic, like everything on the surface, but chemosynthetic.

    Submergence (2017)

  • Paull said, "Nobody has ever found a living chemosynthetic biological community in the Arctic proper."

    Blog text (22)

  • At a nearby hydrothermal vent field named Middle Valley, these chemosynthetic clams were widespread.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Sediments sampled at Baby Bare contained shells of chemosynthetic clams—leftovers from octopus meals, Voight believes.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Deep in the ocean, there are chemosynthetic bacteria that thrive in complete darkness, using chemical energy to produce food.

  • In areas where sunlight cannot penetrate, chemosynthetic organisms play a crucial role by converting chemical energy into usable food.

Synonyms

autotrophic
vschemosynthetic
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A living thing that makes its own food using sunlight or chemicals

is limited to using chemical energy instead of light
chemoautotrophic
vschemosynthetic
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Organisms that make their own food using chemicals, not sunlight

uses chemical energy broadly rather than specifying oxidation

Surface Forms

chemosynthetic positive

Morphology

chemosynthetic = synthetic (semi-transparent) = chemo + synthetic

Formally built from the combining form 'chemo-' (chemical) + 'synthetic' (relating to synthesis), but 'synthetic' is often interpreted as 'artificial', which can mislead learners about biological production.

Etymology

The word chemosynthetic breaks into chemo- meaning 'chemical' and -synthetic (like in synthesize) meaning 'to make', so chemosynthetic organisms 'make' their food from chemicals instead of from sunlight.