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Brief Communications

Nature 403, 499-500 (3 February 2000) | doi:10.1038/35000647

Open Innovation Challenges

Longevity record for deep-sea invertebrate

Derk C. Bergquist1, Frederick M. Williams1 & Charles R. Fisher1

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The growth rate of a marine tubeworm is tailored to different environments.

Communitites around deep-sea hydrothermal vents experience rapidly fluctuating and ephemeral environments that stimulate their biological growth and development at rates far exceeding those of other deep-sea communities1, 2, 3, 4. In contrast, the slow, steady release of reduced compounds from hydrocarbon seeps provides a much more constant environment, although, surprisingly, these support communities of species that are phylogenetically and physiologically quite similar to those at the vents5, 6, 7, 8.