Ecology, evolution and development of a symbiosis between a green alga and some amphibians

共生是一种迷人的生物相互作用，当两个或多个物种以一种持续的方式相互作用时，通常是为了互惠互利。这种现象在自然界中很常见，通常涉及较小的自养（自食）共生体，它们生活在光学透明或半透明的宿主结构上或内部。两个著名的例子包括造礁珊瑚，其中容纳了单细胞光合生物，称为鞭毛藻和深海喷口生物，如贻贝或管蠕虫，其中容纳了食硫细菌。共生关系在生态学上非常重要：整个生态系统（例如大堡礁和深海喷口群落）都是这些共生的结果。尽管有许多光合真核生物和动物之间共生的例子，但在脊椎动物（地球上最复杂的动物）之间还没有观察到这种相互作用。我们发现单细胞绿藻(

Symbioses are fascinating biological interactions that occur when two or more species interact in a sustained manner, usually for mutual benefit. This phenomenon is common in nature and often involves smaller autotrophic (self-feeding) symbionts that live on or inside optically transparent or translucent host structures. Two celebrated examples include reef-building corals, which house single celled photosynthetic organisms called dinoflagellates and deep sea vent organisms such as mussels or tube worms, which house sulfur-eating bacteria. Symbiotic associations can be extremely ecologically important: entire ecosystems (e.g., The Great Barrier Reef and Deep Sea Vent Communities) are generated as a result of these symbioses. Despite numerous examples of symbioses between photosynthetic eukaryotes and animals, no such interaction had been observed among vertebrates, the most complex animals on the planet. We discovered that unicellular green algae (