Life Sciences Commons^™

Heterotrophic Carbon Fixation In A Salamander-Alga Symbiosis, John A. Burns, Ryan Kerney, Solange Duhamel

Biology Faculty Publications

The unique symbiosis between a vertebrate salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, and unicellular green alga, Oophila amblystomatis, involves multiple modes of interaction. These include an ectosymbiotic interaction where the alga colonizes the egg capsule, and an intracellular interaction where the alga enters tissues and cells of the salamander. One common interaction in mutualist photosymbioses is the transfer of photosynthate from the algal symbiont to the host animal. In the A. maculatum–O. amblystomatis interaction, there is conflicting evidence regarding whether the algae in the egg capsule transfer chemical energy captured during photosynthesis to the developing salamander embryo. In experiments …

Algae Living In Salamanders, Friend Or Foe?, John Burns, Ryan R. Kerney

Biology Faculty Publications

Roughly speaking, our bodies use energy from the sun, but we can't use sunlight directly. Instead, plants and algae collect sunlight and store it as chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. We can access that fuel directly when we eat plants, or indirectly when we eat other animals that eat plants.

However, in some invertebrate animals (those without a backbone) the relationships to algae are more intimate. Tiny single-celled algal "symbionts" can actually live inside the cells of living corals and small animals like hydra that live in water. The algae live in a safe environment inside animal …