Ophryotrocha labronica, an "archivory" worm of the Dorvilleids family ANDREW THURBER, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Deep-sea worms living near Costa Rica and off the western United States like to munch on single-celled Arachaea, according to a study published online in the International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal, a subsidiary of the journal Nature.
Archaea, thought to be one of Earth’s most abundant life forms, have been found in nearly all corners of the globe, including some of the planet’s most inhospitable environments, such as geysers and oil wells. They are significant contributors to the global ecosystem, playing key metabolic roles in the nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon cycles. Until now, however, scientists weren’t sure if they were ever eaten. But Dorvilleid worms living at deep-sea cold seeps—where hydrogen sulfide, methane, and other hydrocarbon-rich fluid seeps through the ocean floor— off the ...
