The Evolutionary History of Siphonophore Tentilla: Novelties, Convergence, and Integration.

ABSTRACT: Synopsis Siphonophores are free-living predatory colonial hydrozoan cnidarians found in every region of the ocean. Siphonophore tentilla (tentacle side branches) are unique biological structures for prey capture, composed of a complex arrangement of cnidocytes (stinging cells) bearing different types of nematocysts (stinging capsules) and auxiliary structures. Tentilla present an extensive morphological and functional diversity across species. While associations between tentillum form and diet have been reported, the evolutionary history giving rise to this morphological diversity is largely unexplored. Here we examine the evolutionary gains and losses of novel tentillum substructures and nematocyst types on the most recent siphonophore phylogeny. Tentilla have a precisely coordinat

SUBMITTER: Damian-Serrano A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8331849 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature