Purple scallop sponge | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Porifera |
Class: | Demospongiae |
Order: | Poecilosclerida |
Family: | Mycalidae |
Genus: | Mycale |
Subgenus: | Aegogropila |
Species: | M. adhaerens |
Binomial name | |
Mycale adhaerens | |
Synonyms | |
|
Mycale adhaerens, the purple scallop sponge, is a species of marine demosponge in the family Mycalidae. Mycale is a large genus and this species is placed in the subgenus Aegogropila making its full name, Mycale (Aegogropila) adhaerens. It grows symbiotically on the valves of scallop shells and is native to the west coast of North America. [1]
Mycale adhaerens forms a thin encrusting layer on the valves of living scallop shells such as Chlamys hastata and Chlamys rubida . It ranges in colour from yellowish-brown through purple to pink. The only other species of sponge growing on the Pacific Coast with which it might be confused is Myxilla incrustans ; that species is usually some shade of brown, has a finer, less fibrous structure and has larger oscula. [2]
The relationship between the sponge and the scallop on which it lives is mutualistic, each receiving benefits. [3] The scallop is often preyed on by the starfish Evasterias troschelii but when the starfish touches the sponge it tends to move away, either being repelled by some secretion from the sponge or by the spicules present in the sponge's tissue. If the starfish does try to force the scallop's valves apart, the tube feet seem unable to obtain a purchase on the sponge. Quite apart from this, the scallop will often try to escape from the starfish by swimming away, and will also try to evade the nudibranchs Doris odhneri and Peltodoris nobilis which feed on the sponge. [2]
The presence of the sponge also seems to deter the octopuses Enteroctopus dofleini and Octopus rubescens from feeding on the scallop. The sponge may also benefit from the scallop's movements, both by being transported into areas of clean water and by avoiding the accumulation of sediment. [2]
A number of bioactive metabolites have been isolated from the sponge, some with cytotoxic activity. [4] In Hong Kong, Pseudoalteromonas spongiae , a marine bacterium, has been isolated from the surface of the sponge. The significance of this association is unknown. [5]
Scallop is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families within the superfamily Pectinoidea, which also includes the thorny oysters.
A molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specialises in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods and cephalopods. Known molluscivores include numerous predatory molluscs,, arthropods such as crabs and firefly larvae, and, vertebrates such as fish, birds and mammals. Molluscivory is performed in a variety ways with some animals highly adapted to this method of feeding behaviour. A similar behaviour, durophagy, describes the feeding of animals that consume hard-shelled or exoskeleton bearing organisms, such as corals, shelled molluscs, or crabs.
Octopus rubescens is the most commonly occurring shallow-water octopus on much of the North American West Coast and a ubiquitous benthic predator in these habitats. Its range extends from the southern Gulf of California to at least the Gulf of Alaska, but may also occur in the western Pacific Ocean. O. rubescens occurs intertidally to a depth of 300 m (980 ft).
Cliona californiana, the yellow boring sponge, boring sponge or sulphur sponge, is a species of demosponge belonging to the family Clionaidae. It is native to the north-eastern Pacific Ocean and burrows into the shell valves of bivalve molluscs.
Peltodoris nobilis, commonly called the sea lemon, false sea lemon, or the noble dorid, is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Discodorididae.
Chlamys varia, also called Mimachlamys varia common name the variegated scallop, is a species of small scallop, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Pectinidae, the scallops. It occurs in the North Sea, the English Channel, the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea.
Pecten maximus, common names the great scallop, king scallop, St James shell or escallop, is a northeast Atlantic species of scallop, an edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pectinidae. This is the type species of the genus. This species may be conspecific with Pecten jacobaeus, the pilgrim's scallop, which has a much more restricted distribution.
Chlamys hastata, the spear scallop, spiny scallop or swimming scallop, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Pectinidae found on the west coast of North America from the Gulf of Alaska to San Diego, California. A limited number of these scallops are harvested by divers or by narrow trawls off the west coast of Canada.
Myxilla incrustans is a species of demosponge. It is an encrusting species and is usually yellow.
Sea sponge aquaculture is the process of farming sea sponges under controlled conditions. It has been conducted in the world's oceans for centuries using a number of aquaculture techniques. There are many factors such as light, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen and the accumulation of waste products that influence the growth rate of sponges. The benefits of sea sponge aquaculture are realised as a result of its ease of establishment, minimum infrastructure requirements and the potential to be used as a source of income for populations living in developing countries. Sea sponges are produced on a commercial scale to be used as bath sponges or to extract biologically active compounds which are found in certain sponge species. Techniques such as the rope and mesh bag method are used to culture sponges independently or within an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system setting. One of the only true sustainable sea sponges cultivated in the world occur in the region of Micronesia, with a number of growing and production methods used to ensure and maintain the continued sustainability of these farmed species.
Serpula vermicularis, known by common names including the calcareous tubeworm, fan worm, plume worm or red tube worm, is a species of segmented marine polychaete worm in the family Serpulidae. It is the type species of the genus Serpula and was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae. It lives in a tube into which it can retract.
Crassadoma is a genus of rock scallops, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Pectinidae. It is monotypic, the only species being Crassadoma gigantea, the rock scallop, giant rock scallop or purple-hinge rock scallop. Although the small juveniles are free-swimming, they soon become sessile, and are cemented to the substrate. These scallops occur in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Pseudoalteromonas spongiae is a marine bacterium isolated from the sponge Mycale adhaerens in Hong Kong.
Neosabellaria cementarium is a species of marine tube worm in the family Sabellariidae, perhaps better known by its previous name, Sabellaria cementarium. It is found in the North Pacific Ocean.
Chlamys rubida is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Pectinidae found on the west coast of North America from the Gulf of Alaska to San Diego, California.
Chlamys australis, common name the "austral scallop", is a species of scallop, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pectinidae, the scallops.
Tambjamines are a group of natural products that are structurally related to the prodiginines. They are enamine derivatives of 4-methoxy-2,2'-bipyrrole-5-carboxaldehyde (MBC).
Onnamide A is a bioactive natural product found in Theonella swinhoei, a species of marine sponge whose genus is well known for yielding a diverse set of biologically active natural products, including the swinholides and polytheonamides. It bears structural similarities to the pederins, a family of compounds known to inhibit protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells. Onnamide A and its analogues have attracted academic interest due to their cytotoxicity and potential for combating the growth and proliferation of cancer cells.
Dysidea arenaria is a species of marine sponge (poriferan) found in the Pacific Ocean. It is a member of the order Dictyoceratida, one of two sponge orders that make up the keratose or "horny" sponges in which a mineral skeleton is absent and a skeleton of organic fibers is present instead.
Mycale hentscheli is a marine sponge, which is known to be a rich source of bioactive small molecules. These natural products originate from the sponge's microbiota. Examples of these molecules include the potent cytotoxic polyketides: pateamine, peloruside, and mycalamide.