Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
09:49
Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation
Published on: October 31, 2019
Uric acid deposits in symbiotic marine algae
Peta L Clode1, Martin Saunders, Garth Maker
1Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia. peta.clode@uwa.edu.au
Plant, Cell & Environment
|November 22, 2008
Summary
Marine algae symbionts in anemones store uric acid, not calcium oxalate. This nitrogen-rich compound fuels algal growth in nutrient-poor waters, revealing new insights into symbiosis.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Symbiotic relationships
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis is crucial for coral reef formation but poorly understood at cellular and molecular levels.
- Crystalline material in marine algal symbionts has been misidentified as calcium oxalate.
- Nitrogen limitation is a key challenge for marine ecosystems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the crystalline material within marine algal symbionts of Aiptasia sp. anemones.
- To investigate the physiological role of this material in symbiont survival and nitrogen metabolism.
- To elucidate the molecular basis of cnidarian-algal symbioses.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of crystalline material from Aiptasia sp. algal symbionts.
- Characterization of the chemical composition of the crystalline material.
- Investigation of uric acid mobilization and its impact on symbiont physiology.
Main Results:
- The crystalline material is identified as uric acid, not calcium oxalate.
- Algal symbionts accumulate significant stores of uric acid.
- Uric acid stores are rapidly mobilized, supporting symbiont growth in nitrogen-poor conditions.
- This is the first report of uric acid accumulation in symbiotic marine algae.
Conclusions:
- Uric acid accumulation and mobilization are key to algal symbiont survival and proliferation in cnidarians.
- This finding offers new insights into nitrogen metabolism in marine symbioses.
- Revises understanding of the physiological basis of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbioses and coral reef health.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Green Algae
Green algae, also referred to as chlorophytes, are different from red algae in having the chloroplasts containing chlorophylls a and b, which give them their distinct green hue. However, they lack phycobiliproteins, preventing them from developing the red or blue-green pigmentation seen in red algae. In terms of photosynthetic pigment composition, green algae closely resemble plants and share a close evolutionary relationship with them. Taxonomically Green algae belong to Phylum Chlorophyta in...
01:23Red Algae
Red algae, also known as rhodophytes, are primarily found in marine environments, though some species inhabit freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. These organisms exist in both unicellular and multicellular forms, with some multicellular varieties reaching macroscopic sizes.As phototrophic organisms, red algae contain chlorophyll a; however, their chloroplasts lack chlorophyll b. Instead, they possess phycobiliproteins, which serve as major light-harvesting pigments, similar to those found in...
01:19Other Algae
The group Stramenopiles include some phototrophic microorganisms. Members of this group possess flagella covered in numerous short, hairlike extensions, a feature that inspired the group's name, derived from the Latin words for "straw" and "hair." Some of the main categories of Stramenopiles include diatoms, golden algae, and brown algae.Diatoms are unicellular, photosynthetic eukaryotes, with over 200 known genera. They play a key role in the planktonic communities of both marine and...
01:25Microbial Mats
Microbial communities forming biofilms and mats represent complex, spatially structured ecosystems where metabolic processes are stratified according to light, oxygen, and nutrient gradients. Biofilms are initial colonization stages, only a few millimeters thick, while mature microbial mats can reach centimeter-scale thickness and display intricate vertical organization. Their structural and functional heterogeneity allows microorganisms to occupy distinct ecological niches within a few...
02:24Comparative Excretory Systems
Animals have evolved different strategies for excretion, the removal of waste from the body. Most waste must be dissolved in water to be excreted, so an animal’s excretory strategy directly affects its water balance.
01:27Diversity of Protists III
Rhizaria are a diverse group of unicellular protists characterized by their threadlike cytoplasmic extensions known as pseudopodia. These structures aid in both locomotion and feeding, giving Rhizaria an amoeboid appearance. Their amoeboid morphology once led to taxonomic confusion, but molecular phylogenetics has clarified their evolutionary placement and emphasized their shared use of pseudopodia despite divergent lineages.This clade comprises diverse lineages such as Chlorarachniophyta,...