Vestimentiferans Can Live Without a Gut Because

Question

Vestimentiferans can live without a gut because
A) They live near sources of dissolved organic matter
B) They are parasites living within the guts of bivalves
C) They have symbiotic bacteria, which are the source of their nutrition
D) They are protistans

Accepted Answer

Vestimentiferans live in symbiosis with chemosynthetic bacteria that reside within their bodies. These bacteria convert inorganic compounds from hydrothermal vents into organic compounds, providing nutrition for the vestimentiferans, allowing them to live without a gut.