ɪt hˈæzbiːn stˈʌdid fɔːɹ ɪts kˈɑːmplɛks fˈuːd wˈɛb, wˌɪtʃ sɚvˈaɪvd fɔːɹ mˈɪliənz ʌv jˈɪɹz wɪðˌaʊt lˈaɪt ɔːɹ ɔːɹɡˈænɪk fˈuːd kˈʌmɪŋ ɪn fɹʌmðə sˈɜːfɪs, bˌiːɪŋ bˈeɪst sˈoʊlli ˌɔn ɐ tˈaɪp ʌv bæktˈɪɹiəm wˌɪtʃ fˈiːdz ˌɔn sˈʌlfɜː wˌɪtʃ sˈɜːvz æz ðɪ ˈoʊnli ɔːɹɡˈænɪk mˈæɾɚɹ ɐvˈeɪləbəl fɚðə nˈɛkst hˈaɪɚ lˈɛvəl ʌv ˈɔːɹɡənˌɪzəmz tə fˈiːd ˈɔn.
It has been studied for its complex food web, which survived for millions of years without light or organic food coming in from the surface, being based solely on a type of bacterium which feeds on sulfur which serves as the only organic matter available for the next higher level of organisms to feed on.