What is the primary diet strategy involving bacteria cultivated on the Yeti Crab's bristles?

Answer

farming

The Yeti Crab has evolved a sophisticated method for obtaining energy in an environment lacking sunlight, relying on chemosynthesis powered by bacteria. The primary food source is derived from dense colonies of specialized bacteria that grow directly upon the crab's hairy setae. The crab actively participates in this process by waving its claws through the chemically rich water currents emanating from the vents. This waving maximizes the delivery of necessary compounds, like hydrogen sulfide and methane, encouraging rapid bacterial proliferation. The crab then harvests this cultivated resource by scraping the bacterial mats off its own bristles using specialized mouthparts, suggesting a highly active cultivation or farming relationship rather than passive grazing.

What is the primary diet strategy involving bacteria cultivated on the Yeti Crab's bristles?

#Videos

Yeti Crab - Animal of the Week - YouTube

Related Questions

When was Kiwa hirsuta, the Yeti Crab, first encountered by scientists?What specialized, hair-like spines cover the Yeti Crab's chelipeds and legs?To which infraorder, grouping it with hermit crabs, is the Yeti Crab classified?What geological feature is essential for sustaining the dense populations of Yeti Crabs?What is the primary diet strategy involving bacteria cultivated on the Yeti Crab's bristles?Given its near-blindness, what dual sensory role might the Yeti Crab's setae perform?Which deep-sea submersible was used by the expedition that discovered Kiwa hirsuta?What entirely new biological family was created to accommodate the distinct nature of Kiwa hirsuta?What maximum density of Yeti Crabs has been observed packed per square meter near favorable vent flows?Where does the female Kiwa hirsuta attach her eggs until they hatch into larvae?
ChemosynthesisYeti CrabCrabcrustaceandeep sea