Deep-sea mussels (IMAGE)

Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Deep-sea mussels

Caption

Deep-sea Bathymodiolus mussels are found worldwide at hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. The mussels live in symbiosis with beneficial bacteria that provide them with nutrition. The mussels also have a pathogenic bacterium that infects their nuclei. Intriguingly, the only cells not infected by the pathogen are those with symbiotic bacteria.

Credit

MARUM, University of Bremen

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