Metagenomes of symbionts from the cephalothorax of juvenile shrimps Rimicaris exoculata and R. chacei, BICOSE3 cruise, 2023, BIOcean5D project

This study investigates the dynamics of chemosynthetic symbiotic communities associated with the hydrothermal vent shrimps Rimicaris exoculata and Rimicaris chacei throughout their juvenile development. Metagenomic analyses were performed on samples collected during the BICOSE3 cruise (2023) from the TAG and Snake Pit vent fields along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Thirty DNA extracts from different juvenile stages were sequenced using an Illumina NovaSeq X platform. The aim was to compare the structure and metabolic potential of the symbiotic communities between species and developmental stages, to determine whether similar functional and ecological processes underlie the progressive establishment of symbiosis during shrimp growth.