Symbionts without borders: Bacterial partners travel the world

Some microscopic bacteria in the ocean partner up with clams from the family Lucinidae, which live unseen in the sand beneath the shimmering blue waters of coastal habitats. This partnership is the clams’ passport to their extensive global reach. The bacteria can also travel a long way. Scientists now show that the bacterial symbionts living in lucinid gills can travel the world without borders.