Hydrothermal vent tubeworms, Riftia pachyptila Jones, were maintained alive and studied on board ship using flow-through pressure aquaria. Simultaneous measurements of O2, SIGMA-CO2, SIGMA-H2S fluxes showed that the intact symbioses reach maximum rates of uptake of SIGMA-CO2 (>2 mu-mole g-1 h-1) at about 90 mu-M SIGMA-H2S. Measurements were made of hemolymph and coelomic fluid SIGMA-CO2, SIGMA-H2S, thiosulfate, pH, and hemoglobin concentrations in worms kept under various conditions of O2 and SIGMA-H2S. Normal hemolymph pH appears to be about 7.5 and is not affected by SIGMA-H2S and SIGMA-CO2 concentrations within the ranges observed. We conclude that Riftia is specialized to provide sulfide to its symbionts with minimal interaction of sulfide with the animal metabolism. The uptake of sulfide is apparently by diffusion into the hemolymph, facilitated by the sulfide-binding properties of the hemoglobins. Both SIGMA-CO2 and P(CO2) are elevated in the hemolymph above their levels in the medium, although they are reduced under autotrophic conditions. Thus inorganic carbon is apparently concentrated from the medium into the hemolymph by an unknown mechanism.