Wood-boring Bivalves Traditional Cache
Hidden : 5/31/2008
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:




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)

ebpxf

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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