Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Symbiotic Relationships in the Deep Sea


SYMBIOSIS : the living together in more or less intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms.

Three Different Types of Symbiosis
  1. Mutualism is when both the symbiont and the host benefit.
  2. Commensalism is when the symbiont benefits with little effect on the host.
  3. Parasitism is when the symbiont benefits to the detriment of the host.

    ANGLERFISH

               Female Angler Fish have a small dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouths. It is tipped with a lure of luminous flesh that baits in prey. The male does not need this adaptation because it becomes a permanent parasitic mate of the female. When a male Angler Fish encounters a female, he latches onto her body with his teeth and fuses with her over time, connection to her skin and bloodstream. In exchange, the female is provided with a very reliable sperm source, avoiding the problem of having to search for a new mate upon every new breeding cycle.


    Quick Facts

    • Found in the Abyssopelagic Zone.
    • Also in a symbiotic relationship with bioluminescent bacteria which produce the alluring bright, rod to attract prey.
    • A female can carry six or more males on her body at a time!
    • Can swallow prey two times its size.
    • Female anglerfish can be up to 10 times larger than male anglerfish. 

      More on the Deep Sea Anglerfish

     
                        Anglerfish Mating Customs



     OSEDAX WORMS
              These worms, known as “bone-devouring” worms, are able to live in the deep sea because they live off other organisms, such as whale carcasses. They have no mouths, no guts, no appendages, but they attach themselves to the bone and grow roots that extract organic compounds, such as fats and collagen.


      











          Additional Facts
    • Live in The Bathypelagic Zone, “The Midnight Zone”.
    • Feed on the corpses of large animals that rarely sink to the bottom, yet these infrequent carcasses provide immense  feasts for these worms.
    • The image to the above shows a fragment of gray whale bone being devoured; Monterey Bay.



         The image to the left shows a 3D CT scan of a bone-eating 'zombie' worm from the genus Osedax, revealing the root-like canals it makes into the bone.


    &

     

     Underwater Footage of Osedax Worms Picking at Carcasses




     BOBTAIL SQUID

               These squid let only one particular bacteria to colonize it, vibrio fischeri, while excluding all other types. The squid benefits from the relationship by reflecting the luminescence of the bacteria, and the bacteria benefits by living in a nutrient-rich and competition-free environment.
     
       Additional Facts
    • Have a light organ that detects how much light is needed, and then dims or brightens the light produced by the bioluminescent bacteria by controlling the amount of oxygen that enters into the organ.
    • These glowing bacteria manufacture an enzyme called luciferase, which facilitates a biochemical reaction that produces light.






    Coexistence between Bobtail Squid and Bacteria     
      Squid & Bioluminescence


    Sources

    Hanna Zayas
    Amy Chappel



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