Inorganic carbon fixation by chemosynthetic ectosymbionts and nutritional transfers to the hydrothermal vent host-shrimp Rimicaris exoculata

in ISME Journal (The) (2013), 7

Wood-based diet and gut microflora of a galatheid crab associated with Pacific deep-sea wood falls

in Marine Biology (2009)

Wood falls in the deep sea have recently become the focus of studies showing their importance as nutrients on the deep-sea Xoor. In such environments, Crustaceans constitute numerically the second-largest ... [more ▼]

Wood falls in the deep sea have recently become the focus of studies showing their importance as nutrients on the deep-sea Xoor. In such environments, Crustaceans constitute numerically the second-largest group after Mollusks. Many questions have arisen regarding their trophic role therein. A careful examination of the feeding appendages, gut contents, and gut lining of Munidopsis andamanica caught with wood falls revealed this species as a truly original detritivorous species using wood and the biofilm covering it as two main food sources. Comparing individuals from other geographic areas from substrates not reported highlights the galatheid crab as specialist of refractory substrates, especially vegetal remains. M. andamanica also exhibits a resident gut microXora consisting of bacteria and fungi possibly involved in the digestion of wood fragments. The results suggest that Crustaceans could be full-fledged actors in the food chains of sunken-wood ecosystems and that feeding habits of some squat lobsters could be different than scavenging. [less ▲]

Bacterial symbionts and mineral deposits in the branchial chamber of the hydrothermal vent shrimp Rimicaris exoculata: relationship to moult cycle

in Aquatic Biology (2008), 1