Deep-Sea Isopod Survives Years Without Eating Using Borrowed Gene

Chinese researchers determined how the giant deep-sea isopod, a relative of the pill bug, survives for over five years without food. The team compared the supergiant isopod Bathynomus jamesi, found at 898 meters deep, to its shallow-water relative Bathynomus doederleini.

They discovered the deep-sea isopod possesses an enlarged stomach, occupying up to two-thirds of its body cavity, allowing it to store large amounts of food when available. The research also revealed the isopod carries a gene, ND1, acquired through horizontal gene transfer from microbes.

This gene suppresses metabolic activity in cold conditions, reducing energy expenditure and extending starvation survival. Tests on zebrafish showed ND1 increased starvation survival by 37 percent under cold conditions.

This combination of a large storage organ and a gene that lowers metabolism allows the isopod to thrive in the nutrient-poor deep sea. Researchers suggest horizontal gene transfer may be a more common adaptation strategy in animals than previously understood, though further study is needed to understand the full implications.