Wood-boring Bivalves
A
cache
by eph5vs20
Hidden:
5/31/2008
Size:
 (Small)
Difficulty: 
Terrain:
(1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)
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This cache is one in a series dedicated to amazing & unusual
organisms. I am astounded by the amazing diversity of plant and
animal life that exists in this world. But the real fascination
lies with those organisms that are amazing, unusual and odd.
These organisms have capabilities that we do not share and can
barely imagine: extraordinary navigational methods, abilities to
regenerate lost limbs, live symbiotically with light-producing
bacteria, reproduce asexually, survive in suspended animation,
change shape and color at will and much more!
Wood-boring Bivalves (family Pholadidae)
The ocean floor is full of life! Did you know that there are
specialist deep-sea organisms dependent on sunken driftwood for
survival? The wood-boring bivalves convert sunken wood into fecal
pellets, which settle and attract other bottom-dwelling animals.
Unlikely as it seems, trees from coastal forests must fall into the
sea and eventually sink to the bottom often enough to make this
strange lifestyle worthwhile.
Very few marine animals are capable of boring into wood. These
bivalves (molluscs) use a combination of mechanical rasping and
secretion of enzymes to work away at the wood. Wood-boring bivalves
get carbon by means of their enzymes, and they have symbiotic
nitrogen-fixing bacteria that help to gather nitrogen.
Additional Hints (
Decrypt
)
Decryption Key
A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z
(letter above equals below,
and vice versa)
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ebpxf
(Decrypted Hints)
Find...
 Bored into wood
Wood-boring Bivalve
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