A dynamic epibiont community associated with the bone-eating polychaete genus Osedax
ABSTRACT Osedax, the deep-sea annelid found at sunken whalefalls, is known to host Oceanospirillales bacterial endosymbionts intracellularly in specialized roots, which help it feed exclusively on vertebrate bones.Past studies, however, have also made mention of external bacteria on their trunks.During a 14-yr study, we reveal a dynamic, yet hastu