Articles for tag: deep-sea ecology, Marine Biology, methane seeps, microbial symbiosis, sea spiders

Large sea spider (Collossendeidae) seen at 1,495 meters in Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument

Meet the Sea Spiders That Grow Their Own Food on the Ocean Floor

April Joy Jovita

In a remarkable discovery, scientists have found that certain deep-sea spiders are not predators or scavengers as once believed, but microbial farmers. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that these spiders cultivate and consume methane-oxidizing bacteria that grow directly on their exoskeletons. This newly described symbiosis offers a ...