Mixotrophy in the deep sea: a dual endosymbiotic hydrothermal mytilid assimilates dissolved and particulate organic matter.

The article presents a study which investigated the assimilation of particulate matter in mussels Bathymodiolus azoricus at hydrothermal vents of the Azores Triple Junction on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It is stated that there is a contribution of photosynthetically produced organic matter to the diet of the mussels and that active suspension-feeding on particulates and dissolved organic matter could contribute to amino acid budget of the mussels. The authors discussed the organic compounds that originate from a mixture of biogenic and abiogenic processes taken from hydrothermal fluids.