Tag

Symbiosis

All articles tagged with #symbiosis

science1 month ago•3 min saved

The living trap: how ants and fungus rig a plant to catch prey

Researchers describe a three-way symbiosis in the Amazon between the shrub Hirtella physophora, the ant Allomerus decemarticulatus, and a cultivated fungus. The ants fashion a trap by cutting plant hairs and using fungal adhesive to build a stem platform with pores, where they ambush prey much larger than themselves; crickets are overcome and consumed. The plant gains defense and sugar rewards; the ants get prey, and the fungus feeds on waste, making a rare win-win-win interaction.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#ants #ecology #myrmecophily

science3 months ago•3 min saved

Genetic Advances Could Reduce Fertilizer Dependence in Agriculture

Researchers have identified a genetic switch in plants that can be modified to enable crops like barley to fix nitrogen from the air through symbiosis with bacteria, potentially reducing the need for artificial fertilizers and making agriculture more sustainable.

via Phys.org|

#agriculture #genetics #nitrogen-fixation

science6 months ago•6 min saved

Sea Spiders Thrive in Darkness, Feed on Ocean Floor Methane

Scientists have discovered that sea spiders in deep California methane seeps thrive by cultivating and grazing on methane-consuming bacteria on their bodies, revealing a unique survival strategy and potential role in reducing methane emissions, with implications for understanding deep-sea microbial ecosystems and climate change mitigation.

via Indian Defence Review|

#climate-change #deep-sea-ecosystems #methane

science6 months ago•4 min saved

Scientists uncover organism challenging the definition of life

Scientists have discovered Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, a microbe that challenges traditional definitions of life by being cellular yet highly dependent on its host, blurring the line between viruses and living organisms, and prompting a reevaluation of what constitutes life.

via Earth.com|

#genome #life-definition #microbe

science8 months ago•2 min saved

Sea Slugs Acquire Powers by Stealing Body Parts from Prey

Sea slugs of the species Elysia crispata can steal and utilize chloroplasts from algae to generate energy from sunlight, a process called kleptoplasty, which may serve multiple functions like energy production, camouflage, or defense, revealing complex biological interactions and potential insights into symbiosis and evolution.

via ScienceAlert|

#chloroplasts #harvard-study #kleptoplasty

science8 months ago•3 min saved

Deep Sea 'Spiders' Discovered Using Bacteria to Consume Methane

Scientists discovered three new species of deep-sea 'spiders' that farm methane-eating bacteria on their bodies, relying on these bacteria for food in the dark, methane-rich environments of ocean seeps, with evidence suggesting bacteria are passed down generations, highlighting unique survival strategies in the deep ocean.

via ScienceAlert|

#deep-sea #marine-biology #methane-bacteria

science8 months ago•4 min saved

Deep Sea Methane-Farming Sea Spiders Discovered

Researchers discovered that deep-sea Sericosura sea spiders cultivate and feed on methane-oxidizing bacteria on their exoskeletons, forming a unique symbiotic relationship that provides them with nutrition in the dark, energy-poor environments of methane seeps.

via Phys.org|

#biofilm-farming #deep-sea-ecosystem #methane-microbes

science1 year ago•3 min saved

Newly Found Symbionts Reveal Unexpected Metabolic Abilities

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology have discovered new mitochondria-like symbionts that live inside ciliates and perform unique metabolic functions, including nitrate respiration. These symbionts, found globally in various environments, have expanded to include new species capable of both anaerobic and aerobic respiration. This discovery has significant implications for understanding microbial evolution and the nitrogen cycle, as these symbionts can impact nutrient removal and greenhouse gas production.

via Phys.org|

#evolution #microbiology #mitochondria

science1 year ago•2 min saved

Heart Cockles' Shell Windows Illuminate Symbiotic Algae

Researchers from the University of Chicago, Stanford, and Duke have discovered that heart cockles, a type of bivalve mollusk, have transparent windows in their shells that allow light to reach symbiotic algae living inside. These windows, made from aragonite, focus light using bundled fiber optic structures, enhancing photosynthesis while blocking harmful UV rays. This natural design could inspire more cost-effective artificial fiber optic cables. The study was published in Nature Communications.

via Phys.org|

#fiber-optics #marine-biology #mollusks

science1 year ago•1 min saved

Unusual Bacteria Found in Deep-Sea Coral

Scientists have discovered two new species of bacteria, Oceanoplasma callogorgiae and Thalassoplasma callogorgiae, in deep-sea coral in the Gulf of Mexico. These mollicutes have extremely small genomes, with only 359 and 385 protein-encoding genes, compared to the average bacterium's 3,000. They survive symbiotically in the coral's mesoglea, obtaining energy from an amino acid rather than carbohydrates. The discovery highlights the minimal genetic requirements for cellular life and introduces a new bacterial family, Oceanoplasmataceae.

via The Washington Post|

#bacteria #coral #deep-sea

science1 year ago•5 min saved

Tiny Seahorse Unveils Hidden Worm Species

Researchers at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, have rediscovered a long-lost species of polychaete worm, Haplosyllis anthogorgicola, while studying pygmy seahorses. These tiny, translucent worms live in coral burrows and were last recorded in 1956. The discovery highlights the complex symbiotic relationships between the worms, seahorses, and corals, and suggests that the worms may clean the coral by consuming leftover food. The study underscores the importance of examining species interactions within their ecosystems and the potential for citizen science platforms like iNaturalist to aid in such discoveries.

via Defector|

#coral-reefs #marine-biology #rediscovery

biology2 years ago•4 min saved

"Western Honey Bees: Synthesizing Nutrients for Gut Microbiota"

A study on the western honey bee reveals that it synthesizes food for its intestinal bacteria, particularly the symbiont Snodgrassella alvi, by producing organic acids that are exported into the gut. This intricate metabolic synergy between the bee and its gut microbiota could explain the bee's specialized and conserved gut microbiota and may play a role in their vulnerability to climate change, pesticides, and new pathogens. The findings shed light on the importance of host-derived compounds in gut colonization and could have implications for understanding and addressing bee health challenges.

via Phys.org|

#bacteria #biology #gut-microbiota

biology2 years ago•3 min saved

"The Origins of Animal Evolution: Tracing the Path of Predatory Lifestyles"

Research on the development of sea anemones suggests that a predatory lifestyle played a significant role in their evolution and the origin of their nervous system. The study found that the larvae of the sea anemone Aiptasia actively feed on living prey using specialized stinging cells and a simple neuronal network. This challenges the idea that the first animals were filter feeders like sponges. The research also sheds light on the importance of nutrition in closing the life cycle of sea anemones and provides a breakthrough for studying endosymbiosis in corals. The findings suggest that the predatory lifestyle of early multicellular organisms may have driven the evolution of complex nervous systems.

via Phys.org|

#animal-evolution #biology #nervous-system

science2 years ago•7 min saved

Cracking Darwin's Paradox: Corals' Vegetarian Side Unveiled

Scientists from the University of Southampton have solved Darwin's Paradox of Coral Reefs by discovering that corals feed on their photosynthetic symbionts, microscopic algae that live inside their cells. This vegetarian diet allows corals to access a previously thought unavailable nutrient source, explaining how they thrive in nutrient-poor waters. The researchers found that corals digest some of their symbiont population to obtain nitrogen and phosphorus, which are essential for their growth. This mechanism enables corals to grow quickly even without additional food. The findings have important implications for understanding coral reef ecosystems and their response to nutrient availability and global warming.

via SciTechDaily|

#charles-darwin #coral-reefs #nutrient-cycling

science2 years ago•16 min saved

"CRISPR-Cas System: Unlocking the Potential of Microorganisms in Symbiosis and Parasite Defense"

Researchers have discovered a potential symbiotic relationship between uncultivated archaea and other microorganisms mediated by the CRISPR/Cas bacterial immune system. The study, published in Nature, suggests that these archaea may rely on CRISPR to target and interact with other microorganisms in their environment. This finding sheds light on the evolutionary adaptations and ecological roles of uncultivated archaea, providing insights into their genomic diversity and potential symbiotic interactions.

via Nature.com|

#archaea #crispr #genomics