8 years ago
Intimate partnerships
Recent research illuminates how symbiosis has been—and still is—a major player in evolution
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http://www.pnas.org
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From Cooperating to Co-Opting
Bacteria living within the Hawaiian bobtail squid produce a bioluminescent glow on the squid’s underside that mimics the moonlight shining above, masking the animal from hungry fish below. The bacteria, in turn, get a nutrient-rich home. Image courtesy of Sara McBride.
This scanning electron microscope image shows bacteria on the surface of a protist, inside a termite. Termites engage in a symbiotic interaction with protists, which digest cellulose, and bacteria, which fix nitrogen. Image courtesy of Kevin Carpenter and Patrick Keeling.
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