YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Tiny Sea Plant Swims from Predators

    By Live Science Staff | LiveScience.com – Fri, Sep 28, 2012

    A tiny marine plant has been caught acting like an animal, find scientists who discovered a species of phytoplankton, a microscopic alga, could swim away from its predators.

    Their finding could shed new light on what causes some colorful plankton blooms.

    "It has been well observed that phytoplankton can control their movements in the water and move toward light and nutrients," marine scientist Susanne Menden-Deuer, of the University of Rhode Island, said in a statement. "What hasn't been known is that they respond to predators by swimming away from them. We don't know of any other plants that do this."

    In lab experiments, Menden-Deuer and her team observed that groups of the phytoplankton Heterosigma akashiwo flee when in the presence of predatory zooplankton. What's more, the tiny plants swim away from areas that previously contained the predators even if the immediate threat is gone.

    "The phytoplankton can clearly sense the predator is there," Menden-Deuer said. "They flee even from the chemical scent of the predator but are most agitated when sensing a feeding predator."

    The algae do this to stay alive. If the phytoplankton have no place to hide, they'll get eaten up by their zooplankton predators within a day. But the algae double in population every two days if they have a refuge, the researchers said. If the same is true for other species of phytoplankton, this discovery could offer a new explanation for some plankton blooms.

    "One of the puzzling things about some phytoplankton blooms is that they suddenly appear," Menden-Deuer said. "Growth and nutrient availability don't always explain the formation of blooms. Our observation of algal fleeing from predators is another mechanism for how blooms could form. Amazingly, looking at individual microscopic behaviors can help to explain a macroscopic phenomenon."

    The study was published online Sept. 28 in the journal PLoS ONE.

    Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

    Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
    Loading...

    More Science News

     

    News for You »

    • Cycling-Road-Giro d'Italia points classification after stage 18

      May 23 (Infostrada Sports) - Points Classification Giro d'Italia after Stage 18 on Thursday 1. Mark Cavendish (Britain / Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) 113 2. Cadel Evans (Australia / BMC Racing) 109 3. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana) 103 4. Carlos Betancur (Colombia / AG2R) 94 5. Mauro Santambrogio (Italy / Vini Fantini) 89 6. Giovanni Visconti (Italy / Movistar) 86 7. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Team Sky) 86 8. Elia Viviani (Italy / Cannondale) 72 9. Ramunas Navardauskas (Lithuania / Garmin) 65 10. Giacomo Nizzolo (Italy / RadioShack) 61

    • No Wonder Republican Criticism of Obama Isn’t Working

      Henny Youngman, the late borscht belt comedian, told hundreds of politically incorrect jokes. One of them was his response when asked, “How’s your wife?” “Compared to what?” he’d say.

    • Woman feared Iowa kidnapping suspect's release

      IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The ex-girlfriend of a man suspected of kidnapping two Iowa girls this week worried that he would harm her and her family before his impending release from prison in 2011, citing prior sexual and physical abuse and threats, according to court records released Friday.

    • California reveals prices for health insurance under Obamacare

      By Sharon Bernstein LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California unveiled prices on Thursday that consumers will pay for a selection of health plans offered through the state under the Affordable Care Act, providing a glimpse into how health care reform may look as it is rolled out across the nation. Under the federal health care reform law, Californians who do not get or cannot afford health insurance through their jobs can buy coverage through an exchange, at a group rate negotiated by state regulators. ...

    • Trucker bumps I-5 bridge, sees tragedy behind him

      MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — The trucker was hauling a load of drilling equipment when his load bumped against the steel framework over an Interstate 5 bridge. He looked in his rearview mirror and watched in horror as the span collapsed into the water behind him. Two vehicles fell into the icy Skagit River.

    • Wife says trucker saw bridge collapse in mirror

      MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — The wife of a Canadian trucker whose rig caused the collapse of a Washington bridge says a special vehicle called a pole car had travelled the route to make sure the load would fit.

    • Why is AT&T milking subscribers for an extra $500 million? ‘Because they can’

      AT&T said earlier this week that it will add a new administrative fee to each of its wireless subscribers’ monthly bills. The fee is only $0.61, which doesn’t sound like much, and an AT&T spokesperson was quick to point out to several news sites that this new fee is lower than similar fees charged by rival carriers. Subscribers were still outraged. Now that the shouting has died down a bit, however, people are looking for a batter explanation for the new charge they’ll see each month. According to one industry watcher, that explanation couldn’t be simpler: “Because they can.” “Why would AT&T do this? Because they can, and it is all in the pricing strategy,” Joe Hoffman, principal analyst at ABI Research

    • Trayvon Martin texts, photos: Might they change Zimmerman trial?

      Ultimately, many of the photos and cellphone records of Trayvon Martin released online Thursday by George Zimmerman’s defense attorneys – indicating that the slain teenager smoked marijuana, got into fights at school, and had an interest in, and perhaps access to, guns – may be ruled inadmissible in court. But they are already making the rounds in the court of public opinion, which can influence everything from fundraising efforts to the mind-set of potential jurors in Mr. Zimmerman's murder trial.

    Show More
    Loading...

    Follow Yahoo! News