Whale Fall
A whale fall is the carcass of a large whale that sinks to the deep seafloor, where it feeds a succession of specialised communities for years to decades.
Full definition of Whale Fall →:: COMPARE ::
Whale fallvsHydrothermal vent
The short answer
Both run on chemosynthesis rather than sunlight, but a vent is a permanent geological feature while a whale fall is a finite, decaying island of chemical energy. Whale falls may work as stepping stones, letting vent-adapted species disperse between vents.
Side by side
| Aspect | Whale fall | Hydrothermal vent |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Years to decades | Geological |
| Energy from | Bone lipids | Earth's interior |
| Mobile | Wherever a whale dies | Fixed |
| Both chemosynthetic | Yes | Yes |
What each one means
Hydrothermal vent
The contrast above sets out how Hydrothermal vent differs from Whale Fall on the points that actually matter.