Mariana Trench Abyssal Food Web
Deep Sea
Western Pacific Ocean — east of the Mariana Islands
Description
The Mariana Trench descends to nearly 11,000 meters, yet life persists at every depth. This food web is fueled by a rain of organic particles from the surface ocean and by microbial chemosynthesis. Supergiant amphipods, xenophyophores, and hadal snailfish have adapted to crushing pressures exceeding 1,000 atmospheres.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Piezophilic bacteria
Scavenging amphipods
Archaea
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Mariana snailfish
Hadal decapods
2 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Supergiant amphipods
Hadal polychaetes
Sea cucumbers
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
Xenophyophores
Hadal amphipods
Foraminifera
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Barophilic bacteria
Chemolithoautotrophs
Marine snow organic matter
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Marine snow sinking from the surface provides the main carbon source to hadal depths
- Supergiant amphipods scavenge and can detect food falls from great distances
- Mariana snailfish is the deepest-living fish, found at 8,178 meters
- Barophilic bacteria thrive at pressures that would destroy surface organisms