The giant tubeworms found at the hydrothermal vents are completely dependent on their bacterial endosymbionts for nutrition. By exploring the genetics of this symbiotic relationship, we hope to gain insights into the origin, evolution, and physiological maintenance of these tightly coupled microbial-invertebrate communities.

This research represents the interdisciplinary linking of deep-sea biology and state-of-the-art biotechnology. Our work is the first high-throughput genomic scale work attempted in the deep-sea environment and is laying the groundwork for future environmental genomic studies. Our work also demonstrates the potential for conducting highly detailed genetic studies on uncultivated microbes. By further combining high-throughput DNA sequencing studies with chip-based hybridization studies, this research has tremendous promise for laying the foundations for dissecting Earth’s biocomplexity, leading to a more comprehensive view of Earth’s evolutionary and physiological dynamics.