Oil Droplet Capture by Tunicates.

ABSTRACT: Species of filter-feeding invertebrates are exposed to natural oil droplets or petroleum oil droplets in water, and many species feed on these droplets. Here, we investigate oil droplet capture by benthic tunicates. We used videography, dissections, and tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC) fluorescence microscopy to study the capture of oil droplets by 10 different species of tunicate. Eight of nine species fed on waste motor oil demonstrating that it is a general phenomenon. The exception was Clavelina huntsmani. Corella willmeriana fed on light crude oil based on evidence of droplets in the branchial basket, gut, and feces. These results demonstrate that tunicates can provide an entry for oils into marine food webs. A further experiment found that Styela gibbsii fed

SUBMITTER: Beaudry K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12741560 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature