Algae Live Inside Developing Salamanders' Cells, Scientists Find
The most complete vertebrate symbiosis ever discovered Algae live inside the cells of salamanders, in the most intimate symbiotic relationship ever seen involving a vertebrate species. The algae live in developing salamander embyros and might help them grow, researchers say. The spotted salamander lays its eggs in ponds, where a species of green algae called Oophila amblystomatis, an "egg-loving" unicellular alga, infiltrates the egg capsules. Endosymbiosis, as this cell-within-a-cell system is called, has been seen in other creatures like coral but is extremely rare in vertebrates, partially because vertebrate immune systems are adept at warding off invaders. Related ArticlesMarine Algae Found to Harness Power of Quantum MechanicsUsing Green Algae as Drug Factory Could Cut Pharma Costs by 1,000 TimesLet's Regrow Our Limbs, Salamander-StyleTagsScience, Rebecca Boyle, algae, amphibians, animals, cells, electron microscopy, embryos, green algae, salamanders, symbiosisScientists have known about the relationship between algae and salamanders for at least 100 years, and they learned...