Ep 86: Just not complete without you

By thelabwithbradbarton | November 10, 2017

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Just not complete without you

Symbiosis between animals and bacteria is very common. In some cases, animals will not develop fully without their microscopic partners—sometimes, they can’t even reproduce.

Here’s a paper on the bobtail squid, and the light producing organ that doesn’t develop fully without the correct strain of bioluminescent bacteria.

Bacterial symbionts induce host organ morphogenesis during early postembryonic development of the squid Euprymna scolopes

Here are a couple of articles on parasitic wasps, and the effects on their reproduction caused by their microscopic hitchhikers.

Removing symbiotic Wolbachia bacteria specifically inhibits oogenesis in a parasitic wasp

Essential but unhelpful wasp Wolbachia

And here’s an article that talks about the link between animal behavior and their microbial symbiotes.

Animal Behavior and the Microbiome