I've noticed these tiny flatworms cruising around my fuges for years, but I've never caught one under the compound scope before now.
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See the little boogie-board shaped worm in the upper right? They're about 0.5-3mm long. They're primarily autotrophic (photosynthetic), though most nematodes will occasionally munch on a critter smaller than themselves.
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See those golden structures? That's what makes them autotrophic. They're dinoflagellates living inside the nematode.
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These dinoflagellates have given up their flagella and their mobility. Thing is, if the nematode dies, the dino's can regrow their flagella and go about their merry way.
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The dinoflagellates use xanthophyll and β-carotene to convert light and co2 to complex sugars that the nematode uses for fuel. In return, the dinoflagellate gets a safe place to live.
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Yes, these are similar to the symbiodinium (zooxanthellae) living in coral tissues.
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If you look closely, you can see the nucleus of the dinoflagellate.
While I was motoring around, I noticed a drop of saltwater on the slide, so I thought it might prove interesting to watch it dry..
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See the little boogie-board shaped worm in the upper right? They're about 0.5-3mm long. They're primarily autotrophic (photosynthetic), though most nematodes will occasionally munch on a critter smaller than themselves.
See those golden structures? That's what makes them autotrophic. They're dinoflagellates living inside the nematode.
These dinoflagellates have given up their flagella and their mobility. Thing is, if the nematode dies, the dino's can regrow their flagella and go about their merry way.
The dinoflagellates use xanthophyll and β-carotene to convert light and co2 to complex sugars that the nematode uses for fuel. In return, the dinoflagellate gets a safe place to live.
Yes, these are similar to the symbiodinium (zooxanthellae) living in coral tissues.
If you look closely, you can see the nucleus of the dinoflagellate.
While I was motoring around, I noticed a drop of saltwater on the slide, so I thought it might prove interesting to watch it dry..