Coevolution in Estuaries (Puget Sound)



Aquatic Fungi



Secondary Compounds - Many secondary metabolites are found in aquatic microorganisms such as algae and the aquatic fungi Cephalosporium acremonium. It is the latter that we will discuss here. Cephalosporium acremonium produces a group of antibiotics called cephalosporins. They fight invader bacteria from attacking the fungus, but have no metabolic function. This is a common example of the use of secondary compounds in estuarine environments.

Camouflage - Octopi have built-in camouflage in their skin.


Octopus in Camouflage



An octopus's camouflage is aided by certain specialized skin cells which can change the apparent color, opacity, and reflectiveness of the epidermis. Chromatophores contain yellow, orange, red, brown, or black pigments; most species have three of these colors, while some have two or four. Other color-changing cells are reflective iridophores, and leucophores (white). This color-changing ability can also be used to communicate with or warn other octopuses. The very venomous blue-ringed octopus becomes bright yellow with blue rings when it is provoked. Octopi can use muscles in the skin to change the texture of their mantle to achieve a greater camouflage. In some species the mantle can take on the spiky appearance of seaweed, or the scraggly, bumpy texture of a rock, among other disguises. However in some species skin anatomy is limited to relatively patternless shades of one color, and limited skin texture. It is thought that octopuses that are day-active and/or live in complex habitats such as coral reefs have evolved more complex skin than their nocturnal and/or sand-dwelling relatives.





Aposematic Coloration - Cuttlefish display aposematic coloration. Their bright coloring hints of their toxicity to other organisms. Pfeffer's Flamboyant Cuttlefish in particular has neurotoxins in its saliva and shows that with its bright red coloration.

Mimicry - Cleaner fish are the allies of many other species, which allow them to eat their parasites and dead skin. Some allow the cleaner to venture inside their body to hunt these parasites. However, one species of cleaner, the Bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), is the unknowing model of a mimetic species, the Sabre-toothed blenny (Aspidontus taeniatus). This wrasse resides in coral reefs in the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, and is recognized by other fishes who then allow it to clean them. Its imposter, a species of blenny, lives in the Indian Ocean and not only looks like it in terms of size and coloration, but even mimics the cleaner's 'dance'. Having fooled its prey into letting its guard down, it then bites it, tearing off a piece of its fin before fleeing the scene.

Pollination in an estuary is commonly a form of hydrophily, which is pollination by the flow of water. Therefore no primary pollinators exist.




47°56'49.54"N
122°33'58.32"W