8:33 a.m., Nov. 19, 2008----You've heard of those relationships in nature where organisms from different species benefit from living or working closely together. Bees and flowering plants, for example, depend on each other: The insects get food and the plants are pollinated. One of the world's most unique examples of this phenomenon, known as symbiosis, is found at the bottom of the sea.
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There, the Pompeii worm (Alvinella pompejana) lives at hydrothermal vents -- geysers on the seafloor that spew super hot, mineral-rich water. Enduring wide-ranging temperatures from about 72 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit, the worm is the world's most heat-tolerant animal. The worm also survives acidic water and conditions where sometimes there's no oxygen at all, so its home is one of the planet's most extreme environments.
Scientists trying to determine just how the worm tolerates the nearly boiling, toxic water have focused on the grey “fleece” of bacteria that live on the worm's back. The bacteria live and feed on mucus produced by the worm but they also serve as a source of food and vitamins for the worm.
To learn more about this symbiotic relationship, researchers sequenced the bacteria's genome, or studied their genes. The result, which was published Nov. 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a catalog of everything the bacteria are capable of doing - from how they function to the nutrients they need to grow.
The project was led by Craig Cary, professor of marine biosciences in the University of Delaware's College of Marine and Earth Studies, and Alison Murray, a faculty member at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nev.
Cary is currently leading a research team that is exploring deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean as part of “Extreme 2008: A Deep-Sea Adventure.” To keep up with the expedition, go to the web site.
Collaborating on the Pompeii worm project were Desert Research Institute faculty member Joseph Grzymski, Barbara Campbell, UD assistant professor of marine biosciences, and Delaware Biotechnology Institute scientist Mihailo Kaplarevic.
Also working on the project were UD Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Guang Gao and researchers from the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, and SymBio Corp. of San Jose, Calif.
So what can the bacteria do? A lot, it turns out. The scientists believe they can endure the same huge range of temperatures that the worms experience. They also can thrive in diverse chemical environments (hydrogen sulfide and heavy metals are common around the vents) and can process both oxygen and organic matter to make energy.
“In the hydrothermal vents there's mixing between the hydrothermal fluids and the seawater and that mixing creates a very dynamic environment,” Campbell said.
But this wide range of traits doesn't belong to just one type of bacteria. The researchers found that the organisms living on the worm's back represent many closely related but diverse members from one strain of bacteria called Epsilonproteobacteria. The team believes that each type of bacteria is optimally adapted to specific temperature ranges and other conditions, allowing the community living on the worm's back to thrive in the ever-changing, hostile ecosystem in which they live.
“Most symbioses in nature include one bacterium that is actually controlled and nurtured by the host, but in this situation we have many different types of bacteria,” Cary said. “That's very unusual.”
Members of the research team discovered the Epsilonproteobacteria in the early '90s and have been working to understand them better ever since. That growing bank of knowledge could benefit an industry looking to develop a variety of products and applications, from new pharmaceuticals to enzymes capable of operating in hot, corrosive, high-pressure environments.
“This is probably one of the first studies to look at a symbiosis of this extreme environment and dissect it down to its bottom line, basically the recipe of success for these organisms,” Cary said. But the researchers have only just begun to describe what the bacteria can do.
Article by Elizabeth Boyle
FAQs
Scientists discovered that some animals living near hydrothermal vents, such as the giant tube worm, Riftia pachyptila, have a symbiotic relationship with species of chemosynthetic bacteria, which allows these animals to survive deep in the ocean.
What is the relationship between tubeworms and bacteria? ›
After acquiring sulfur-oxidizing bacteria from the environment, tubeworms become fully dependent on their symbiont bacteria for nutrient intake. Once ingested by the tubeworm larva, no additional symbionts join from the environment, and no symbionts are released until the host tubeworm dies.
What is the special relationship between hydrothermal vent bacteria and vent tube worms? ›
Symbiotic vent bacteria are found inside the tissues of other vent animals, such as tubeworms or mussels. The bacteria are chemosynthetic. They oxidize hydrogen sulfide, add carbon dioxide and oxygen to produce sugar (food), sulfur, and water.
What is the relationship between the worms and bacteria? ›
The bacteria live and feed on mucus produced by the worm but they also serve as a source of food and vitamins for the worm. To learn more about this symbiotic relationship, researchers sequenced the bacteria's genome, or studied their genes.
What kind a relationship do the bacteria and worms have? ›
The microbes and the worm depend upon each other for survival in what is called a symbiotic relationship. In a symbiotic relationship, two different species live together and each benefits from the partnership. In this case, the worm gives the bacteria a place to stay and the bacteria provide food for the worm.
What is the symbiotic relationship between chemosynthetic bacteria and tubeworms? ›
The bacteria produce organic mol- ecules that provide nutrition to the tubeworm. Similar symbiotic relationships are found in clams and mussels that have chemosynthetic bacteria liv- ing in their gills.
What type of symbiotic relationship does the tube worm have with the bacteria living in their tissues? ›
These tube worms have a special type of symbiosis with their bacteria called a mutualism, where both organisms benefit.
What is the symbiotic relationship in the hydrothermal vents? ›
In deep-sea chemosynthetic environments such as hydrothermal vents, many endemic animals harbour endosymbiotic bacteria within their cells to access energy and nutrients released through microbial oxidation of reducing substances such as hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, thiosulfate, and methane2.
What bacteria do vent tube worms get nourishment from? ›
Scientists discovered that some animals living near hydrothermal vents, such as the giant tube worm, Riftia pachyptila, have a symbiotic relationship with species of chemosynthetic bacteria, which allows these animals to survive deep in the ocean.
What makes hydrothermal vent species unique? ›
It is one of the most heat-resistant multicellular animals on the planet, able to withstand temperature spikes of over 80°C. 'Most animals can't cope with anything over 40°C. Very close to the hot fluid, there are typically only microorganisms. These can survive in temperatures up to around 120°C,' explains Maggie.
Symbiotic bacteria are bacteria that live in a symbiotic relationship with other organisms. Like rhizobium bacteria associated with root nodules, both the host and the pathogen benefit from the symbiotic interaction. Plants provide a safe haven for rhizobium bacteria, which assists plants in nitrogen fixation.
What are the symbiotic bacteria in worms? ›
The symbiotic bacteria of the earthworm nephridia (excretory organs) were first discovered through microscopy studies performed by Knop in 1926. The rod-shaped bacteria are confined to the ampulla, a specific region of the nephridia, where they form a dense biofilm (Knop, 1926; Pandazis, 1931; Schramm et al., 2003).
Why do tube worms live in hydrothermal vents? ›
Instead of feeding like most other animals, these worms depend on symbiotic bacteria inside them that convert the hydrogen sulfide, carbonates or hydrocarbons (depending on the mineral content of the water) from the vent water into organic compounds for energy .
What are the three types of symbiotic relationships? ›
Symbiotic Relationships. Symbiosis is a close relationship between two species in which at least one species benefits. For the other species, the relationship may be positive, negative, or neutral. There are three basic types of symbiosis: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
How are the microbes and tube worms an example of mutualism? ›
AbstractTubeworms and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria mutualism, an essential part of the chemosynthetic ecosystem in the deep sea, has several puzzling features. After acquiring sulfur-oxidizing bacteria from the environment, tubeworms become fully dependent on their symbiont bacteria for nutrient intake.
Do worms have a symbiotic relationship? ›
Each organism has a role and occupies a niche. In fact, shown by the Russian ecologist, Gause, about 30 years ago that each niche has only one organism with its specific food.
What is the relationship between phytoplankton and bacteria? ›
Interactions between phytoplankton and bacteria can range from the reciprocal exchange of resources required for growth (for example, nutrients and vitamins) to competition for limiting inorganic nutrients. POC, particulate organic carbon.
How do tubeworms and bacteria help each other to survive? ›
“Of benefit to at least one of the partners” In this example, both species benefit. The worm obtains energy-rich organic compounds from the bacteria. The bacteria obtain the ingredients needed for metabolism and growth from the blood of the worm.
What is the relationship between Pompeii worms and bacteria? ›
On its own, a Pompeii worm can only tolerate temperatures up to 55 degrees Celsius (131 degrees Fahrenheit), but their bacterial coating redistributes the heat to keep the worm cool. The bacteria not only help regulate the temperature of the worm, they also break down minerals from the vent to aid their host.
What is the relationship between bacteria and fungi? ›
The most intimate BFIs occur when the two partners establish a symbiosis. These symbioses can be classified as either an ectosymbiotic relationship, in which bacteria remain external to the fungal plasma membrane, or an endosymbiotic relationship, in which bacteria are located inside the fungal cell.
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