The endosymbiotic bacateria inside tubeworms can also use another metabolic pathway to produce organic carbon: the reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA)cycle. This cycle requires less energy, but not does work in high-oxygen conditions. The capability to use both methods gives the bacteria (and the tubeworms that depend on them) flexibilty to survive under changing environmental conditions. (Courtesy of Stefan Sievert, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)[back]
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