Journal article 176 views 23 downloads
To move or not to move: taxis responses of the marine acoel Symsagittifera roscoffensis to different stimuli
,
Christopher Coates,
Kam W. Tang
Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology, Pages: 1 - 15
Swansea University Authors:
NATHAN THOMAS, Kam Tang , Christopher Coates
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© 2024 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1080/10236244.2024.2337444
Abstract
Symsagittifera roscoffensis forms a photosymbiotic relationship with the alga Tetraselmis convolutae within the intertidal zone. Juveniles lack algal symbionts at birth and acquire them from the environment. Requiring light for photosynthesis, they position themselves within the water column while a...
| Published in: | Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology |
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| ISSN: | 1023-6244 1029-0362 |
| Published: |
Informa UK Limited
2024
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65971 |
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| Abstract: |
Symsagittifera roscoffensis forms a photosymbiotic relationship with the alga Tetraselmis convolutae within the intertidal zone. Juveniles lack algal symbionts at birth and acquire them from the environment. Requiring light for photosynthesis, they position themselves within the water column while also balancing the risk of being washed away. To understand their behavioural adaptations, we conducted experiments on their movement in response to algal cues (chemotaxis), light gradients (phototaxis), and mechanical vibrations. Aposymbiotic juveniles showed three times more positivedisplacement towards algae. Adults exhibited positive phototaxis but retreated from high light intensity. When introduced to a column with a light source, the worms remained just below thesurface. In the mechanical vibration experiment, worms only descended when vibrations exceeded a threshold. These findings suggest that S. roscoffensis has chemotactic abilities crucial foracquiring algae and acquires light for photosynthesis while minimizing dispersal risk and photoinhibition, facilitating its life cycle in the intertidal zone. |
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| Keywords: |
Photosymbiosis; intertidal; chemotaxis; phototaxis, physical vibration; model organism |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
Swansea University |
| Start Page: |
1 |
| End Page: |
15 |