Surprisingly, they are the basis of a food chain 令人吃惊的是 它们竟然是食物链中的第一环
which supports, amongst other creatures, the larvae of these midges. 用以养活其它生物 例如这些蚋的幼虫
these bacteria extract energy from the hydrogen sulphide gas. 这些细菌只能从硫化氢气体中吸收能量
the drops dripping from the ends are sulphuric acid, 其末端滴落的液滴就是硫酸
The snotites are, in fact, vast colonies of bacteria, “鼻涕石”其实是大型菌落
despite the acid and the low levels of oxygen. 尽管这里是酸性低含氧量环境
but the biggest surprise is something altogether more bizarre. 不过更大的惊奇莫过于 那些更奇怪的东西
It mixes with oxygen and the water, 与水中的氧发生化合反应
These are not the sort of conditions in which you would expect to find fish, 鱼类似乎不太可能生活在这种环境中
but venturing deep into the cave is very dangerous indeed. 但是深入洞穴必然极度危险