PLOS BiologyMar 19
The development of #salps differs from that of #ascidians in the presence of maternal cells called calymmocytes. This study of #embryogenesis in 2 salp species identifies distinct cleavage patterns & blastomere positioning, informing the study of their #evolution @PLOSBiology https://plos.io/4bscc6j
Comparative embryogenesis of two salp species reveals rogue development and evolutionary divergence from sessile tunicates

Although tunicates include both sessile ascidians and planktonic salps, the embryogenesis of salps differs in the presence of unique maternal cells called calymmocytes. This study analyses embryogenesis in Salpa fusiformis and Thalia democratica, identifying distinct cleavage patterns and blastomere positioning, among other characteristics, and providing a framework to study their evolution.

PLOS BiologyMar 19
#Tunicates are the closest living relatives of vertebrates. Yasunori Sasakura explores a @PLOSBiology study that reveals the unique embryogenesis of Thaliacea (2 spp of #salps), tunicates that regained mobility from their sessile ancestor. Paper: https://plos.io/4bscc6j Primer: https://plos.io/4uBoK4f
Comparative embryogenesis of two salp species reveals rogue development and evolutionary divergence from sessile tunicates

Although tunicates include both sessile ascidians and planktonic salps, the embryogenesis of salps differs in the presence of unique maternal cells called calymmocytes. This study analyses embryogenesis in Salpa fusiformis and Thalia democratica, identifying distinct cleavage patterns and blastomere positioning, among other characteristics, and providing a framework to study their evolution.

earthlingDec 11

Salps are gelatinous animals that live in the open ocean, but are closely related to the "sea squirts" (tunicates) seen in tidepools. Colonial salps often form long chains, with new animals budding off from others in the chain. These chains can reach lengths of up to 15 meters (nearly 50 feet) and are one of the fastest-growing animals on the planet. ⁠

via mbari-blog

#salps

michaelJun 27, 2025

27-Jun-2025
Tiny ocean migrants play a massive role in #SouthernOcean #carbonStorage

A groundbreaking study has revealed that small but mighty #zooplankton—including #copepods, #krill, and #salps—are key players in the Southern #Ocean’s ability to absorb and store #carbon.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1089054 #science #ecology #climateCatastrophe

Tiny ocean migrants play a massive role in Southern Ocean carbon storage

A new study has revealed for the first time that zooplankton migration contributes significantly to carbon sequestration in the Southern Ocean—a process overlooked in climate models.

EurekAlert!
Lukas VFN 🇪🇺Mar 23, 2025

It’s the little things that count https://aappartnership.org.au/its-the-little-things-that-count/

"Deep inside the icebreaker RSV #Nuyina off the coast of East #Antarctica, as 9-metre swells and 50-knot gales rage outside, the #plankton team is busy collecting tiny creatures with the wet well: a unique sampling space below the waterline, connected to the ocean by large inlets... the wet well enables particularly fragile #animals, like #salps and #jellyfish, to be captured alive and in good condition."

Liminal FictionDec 3, 2024

WRITER FUEL: Salps: The world's fastest-growing animals that look like bottles of snot.

https://www.limfic.com/2024/12/02/writer-fuel-the-sea-animal-that-looks-like-a-bottle-of-snot/

#LimFic #LiminalFiction #WriterFuel #Writers #Authors #WritersofMastodon #StoryIdeas #Oceans #Biology #Salps

Writer Fuel: The Sea Animal That Looks Like a Bottle of Snot

There are more than 70 species of salps worldwide, with Salpa fusiformis being the most common. Salps can be found from the ocean surface down to around 2,600 feet (800 meters) deep. They are barrel shaped, ranging from 0.08 inches (0.2 centimeters) at birth to about 4 inches (10 cm) in adulthood. They can join...

Liminal Fiction
Lukas VFN 🇪🇺Jul 3, 2024

Underwater starfield: A swimmer’s encounter with creatures of the open ocean https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/underwater-starfield-salps

"below me, I see something else: a host of gleaming creatures, catching the daylight, shining in relief against the black bottom. These long, translucent chains look like #ocean peapods, flecked with orange. There are more than I can count, and they are layered along the bottom in every direction... We are swimming through a bloom of #salps"

A swimmer’s encounter with creatures of the open ocean

A swimmer’s encounter with creatures of the open ocean

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Warren Currie 🦠🦐Mar 23, 2024
Weekend #Plankton #Factoid 🦐🦠
Deep-water habitats in the ocean often have very stange looking #zooplankton. This is Phronima, a meso-pelagic parasititoid hyperiid #amphipod found in most of the #oceans, which seems designed by H.R. Giger. It is a couple of cm long, highly transparent, with distinct claws it uses to bury itself into various types of gelatinous zooplankton including #salps, which they hollow-out and drive around, giving them the nickname of "pram bugs".
https://twilightzone.whoi.edu/explore-the-otz/creature-features/pram-bug/
Creature Feature: Phronima - Twilight Zone

The phromina, a small, translucent crustacean, makes its home inside its victims’ hollowed-out bodies.

Twilight Zone
Lukas VFN 🇪🇺Mar 22, 2024

Characterizing #salps as predators of marine microbes
https://phys.org/news/2024-03-characterizing-salps-predators-marine-microbes.html

Ubiquitous #FilterFeeders shape open #ocean microbial community structure and function: Anne Thompson et al. https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/3/3/pgae091/7626926

"A huge fraction of global flows of #carbon and other nutrients pass through marine #microbes. Little is known about their causes of death, however. This information determines where those nutrients will go."

Characterizing salps as predators of marine microbes

A huge fraction of global flows of carbon and other nutrients pass through marine microbes. Little is known about their causes of death, however. This information determines where those nutrients will go.

Phys.org
CellBioNewsMar 20, 2024

Characterizing #salps as #predators of marine #microbes.

#plankton #Crocosphaera #Synechococcus #diatoms, #Chrysochromulina

https://phys.org/news/2024-03-characterizing-salps-predators-marine-microbes.html

Characterizing salps as predators of marine microbes

A huge fraction of global flows of carbon and other nutrients pass through marine microbes. Little is known about their causes of death, however. This information determines where those nutrients will go.

Phys.org