The process by which organisms produce energy by oxidizing chemicals rather than using sunlight, common in deep-sea environments. Chemosynthetic bacteria form the base of food webs around hydrothermal vents and in other extreme environments.
From Greek 'chemo-' (chemical) and 'synthesis' (putting together), coined in 1897 by Russian microbiologist Sergei Winogradsky. The term distinguished this process from photosynthesis, which uses light energy instead of chemical energy.
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