Atriolum robustum

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Atriolum robustum
Atriolum robustum (Ascidian) on Siphonogorgia godeffroyi (Soft tree coral).jpg
Atriolum robustum on Siphonogorgia godeffroyi (soft tree coral)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Tunicata
Class: Ascidiacea
Order: Aplousobranchia
Family: Didemnidae
Genus: Atriolum
Species:A. robustum
Binomial name
Atriolum robustum
Kott, 1983
Synonyms

Atriolum robostum Kott, 1983 [1]

Atriolum robustum is a colonial tunicate or sea squirt in the family Didemnidae . It is native to the western and central Indo-Pacific where it is usually found anchored to a hard surface in shallow water.

In biology, a colony is composed of two or more conspecific individuals living in close association with, or connected to, one another. This association is usually for mutual benefit such as stronger defense or the ability to attack bigger prey. It is a cluster of identical cells (clones) on the surface of a solid medium, usually derived from a single parent cell, as in bacterial colony. In contrast, a solitary organism is one in which all individuals live independently and have all of the functions needed to survive and reproduce.

Tunicate Subphylum of chordates

A tunicate is a marine invertebrate animal, a member of the subphylum Tunicata. It is part of the Chordata, a phylum which includes all animals with dorsal nerve cords and notochords. The subphylum was at one time called Urochordata, and the term urochordates is still sometimes used for these animals. They are the only chordates that have lost their myomeric segmentation, with the possible exception of the seriation of the gill slits.

Didemnidae family of tunicates

Didemnidae is a family of colonial tunicates in the order Enterogona.

Contents

Description

A colony of Atriolum robustum consists of a number of hollow, urn-shaped zooids up to 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long, each with a large circular terminal hole, the atrial siphon, and connected by an encrusting base. The tunic (body wall) is firm to the touch and is perforated by a number of pore-like buccal siphons, each raised on a slight elevation, giving the zooid a pine cone-like appearance. The tunic contains a red pigment but the colour of this is often masked by the presence of yellowish-green cyanobacteria ( Prochloron sp.) and may only be visible in the interior and at the rim of the atrial syphon. This sea squirt is sometimes confused with Didemnum molle but that species has a network of internal channels and exudes mucus, making it sticky to the touch. [2]

Zooid

A zooid or zoöid is a single animal that is part of a colonial animal. This lifestyle has been adopted by animals from separate unrelated taxa. Zooids are multicellular; their structure is similar to that of other solitary animals. The zooids can either be directly connected by tissue or share a common exoskeleton. The colonial organism as a whole is called a zoon, plural zoa.

Conifer cone Reproductive organ on conifers

A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta (conifers) that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity. The name "cone" derives from the fact that the shape in some species resembles a geometric cone. The individual plates of a cone are known as scales.

Cyanobacteria phylum of Gram-negative bacteria

Cyanobacteria, also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of bacteria that obtain their energy through photosynthesis and are the only photosynthetic prokaryotes able to produce oxygen. The name cyanobacteria comes from the color of the bacteria. Cyanobacteria, which are prokaryotes, are also called "blue-green algae", though the term algae in modern usage is restricted to eukaryotes.

Distribution

Atriolum robustum is found in the tropical western and central Indo-Pacific region at depths between about 12 and 300 m (39 and 984 ft). Its range extends from Madagascar to Australia and Papua New Guinea and includes Réunion and Mayotte. [2]

Indo-Pacific A biogeographic region of the Earths seas, comprising the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean, the eastern Indian Ocean, and the connecting seas.

The Indo-Pacific, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, is a biogeographic region of Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia. It does not include the temperate and polar regions of the Indian and Pacific oceans, nor the Tropical Eastern Pacific, along the Pacific coast of the Americas, which is also a distinct marine realm.

Réunion Overseas region and department in France

Réunion is an overseas department and region of France and an island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and 175 km (109 mi) southwest of Mauritius. As of January 2019, it had a population of 866,506.

Mayotte Overseas region and department in France

Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France officially named the Department of Mayotte. It consists of a main island, Grande-Terre, a smaller island, Petite-Terre, and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa, between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. The department status of Mayotte is recent and the region remains, by a significant margin, the poorest in France. Mayotte is nevertheless much more prosperous than the other countries of the Mozambique Channel, making it a major destination for illegal immigration.

Biology

Atriolum robustum feeds on phytoplankton, zooplankton and minute pieces of detritus. Water gets drawn into the zooid through the buccal openings, the edible particles are then filtered out and the water current leaves the zooid through the atrial siphon. Sexual reproduction involves sperm being drawn into the body cavity with the inflowing water current and eggs being fertilised internally. The developing embryos are brooded at first. [2]

Phytoplankton Autotrophic members of the plankton ecosystem

Phytoplankton are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of oceans, seas and freshwater basin ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek words φυτόν (phyton), meaning "plant", and πλαγκτός (planktos), meaning "wanderer" or "drifter". Most phytoplankton are too small to be individually seen with the unaided eye. However, when present in high enough numbers, some varieties may be noticeable as colored patches on the water surface due to the presence of chlorophyll within their cells and accessory pigments in some species.

Zooplankton Heterotrophic protistan or metazoan members of the plankton ecosystem

Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word zooplankton is derived from the Greek zoon (ζῴον), meaning "animal", and planktos (πλαγκτός), meaning "wanderer" or "drifter". Individual zooplankton are usually microscopic, but some are larger and visible to the naked eye.

Detritus Dead particulate organic material

In biology, detritus is dead particulate organic material. It typically includes the bodies or fragments of dead organisms as well as fecal material. Detritus is typically colonized by communities of microorganisms which act to decompose the material. In terrestrial ecosystems, it is encountered as leaf litter and other organic matter intermixed with soil, which is denominated "soil organic matter". Detritus of aquatic ecosystems is organic material suspended in water and piling up on seabed floors, which is referred to as marine snow.

This tunicate is itself eaten by various predators including the Egyptian sea star, Gomophia egyptiaca and the sea snail, Gyrineum gyrinum . [2]

Predation A biological interaction where a predator kills and eats a prey organism

Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation and parasitoidism. It is distinct from scavenging on dead prey, though many predators also scavenge; it overlaps with herbivory, as a seed predator is both a predator and a herbivore.

<i>Gomophia egyptiaca</i> species of sea star

Gomophia egyptiaca, sometimes called the Egyptian sea star, is a species of sea star from Ophidiasteridae family found throughout much of the Indo-Pacific.

<i>Gyrineum gyrinum</i> species of mollusc

Gyrineum gyrinum is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cymatiidae.

Komodo National Park national park in Indonesia

Komodo National Park is a national park in Indonesia located within the Lesser Sunda Islands in the border region between the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara. The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Padar and Rinca, and 26 smaller ones, with a total area of 1,733 km2. The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard. Later it was dedicated to protecting other species, including marine species. In 1991 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

<i>Polycarpa aurata</i> species of chordates

Polycarpa aurata, also known as the ox heart ascidian, the gold-mouth sea squirt or the ink-spot sea squirt, is a species of tunicate in the family Styelidae.

<i>Rhopalaea</i> genus of chordates

Rhopalaea is a genus of tunicate belonging to the family Diazonidae.

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References

  1. ↑ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Atriolum robustum Kott, 1983". Marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lamare, Véronique; André, Frédéric (2014-02-02). "Atriolum robustum Kott, 1983". DORIS (in French). Retrieved 2014-02-13.
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