# Explain how a deep-sea hydrothermal vent bacterium is adapted to survive in its extreme environment.

> AQA GCSE Biology (8461) — 4.7.1 Adaptations, interdependence and competition · Explain · 4 marks

> Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor release water at temperatures exceeding 100 °C and under very high pressure. Bacteria living at these vents are described as extremophiles.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. The bacterium has enzymes that work at very high temperatures
2. This allows metabolic reactions / chemical reactions to continue at high temperatures
3. The bacterium can survive without light / does not rely on photosynthesis for energy
4. These adaptations increase the bacterium's chance of survival in an environment where most organisms cannot live

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