The gorgeous trunk of an appendicularian. This little package hold all the bits this tunicate needs, like the mouth and anus amongst other things. The bit that looks like a brain is the animals ripe gonads!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
October 31, 2025 at 8:25 PM
The gorgeous trunk of an appendicularian. This little package hold all the bits this tunicate needs, like the mouth and anus amongst other things. The bit that looks like a brain is the animals ripe gonads!
#marineplankton 🦑
#marineplankton 🦑
I need to do a ‘proper’ educational post on these guys because they’re awesome! This is an Appendicularian, a tunicate and lives full-time in the plankton. They create a mucus house several times a day that allows them to filter nanoplankton to eat! #marineplankton 🦑
October 20, 2025 at 8:02 AM
I need to do a ‘proper’ educational post on these guys because they’re awesome! This is an Appendicularian, a tunicate and lives full-time in the plankton. They create a mucus house several times a day that allows them to filter nanoplankton to eat! #marineplankton 🦑
Appendicularians are small tadpole-shaped marine animals that catch food particles in their mucus mesh “house”. The charge of particles’ surfaces affects whether they are ingested into the appendicularian’s gut or retained in the house - read more here: doi.org/10.1002/lno.... (Feb 2025)
June 4, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Appendicularians are small tadpole-shaped marine animals that catch food particles in their mucus mesh “house”. The charge of particles’ surfaces affects whether they are ingested into the appendicularian’s gut or retained in the house - read more here: doi.org/10.1002/lno.... (Feb 2025)
Our lab studies the appendicularian Oikopleura dioica, which has a fast embryo development (from egg to juvenile <20h) and short life-cycle (5d 19C). In contrast to ascidians, it does not suffer a drastic metamorphosis and maintains its chordate body plan and free-swimming style throughout its life.
December 18, 2024 at 4:52 PM
Our lab studies the appendicularian Oikopleura dioica, which has a fast embryo development (from egg to juvenile <20h) and short life-cycle (5d 19C). In contrast to ascidians, it does not suffer a drastic metamorphosis and maintains its chordate body plan and free-swimming style throughout its life.
If you remember, appendicularians are little tadpole-looking pelagic tunicates, that secrete a mucus ‘house’ that they use to filter water, trapping nanoplankton. Over time, the filters become clogged and the appendicularian gets rid of it and makes a new one.
July 10, 2025 at 7:48 PM
If you remember, appendicularians are little tadpole-looking pelagic tunicates, that secrete a mucus ‘house’ that they use to filter water, trapping nanoplankton. Over time, the filters become clogged and the appendicularian gets rid of it and makes a new one.
Our new paper shows how particle surface charge influences grazing by the magnificent appendicularian. Spoiler, it may matter most to the smallest cells doi.org/10.1002/lno.... With Kelly Sutherland, Terra Hiebert, and @msarscentre.bsky.social in Norway.
Prey particle surface property mediates differential selection by the ubiquitous appendicularian Oikopleura dioica
Cell surface properties can strongly mediate microbial interactions with predators in soil and host-pathogen systems. Yet, the role of microbial surface properties in avoiding or enhancing predation ...
doi.org
February 7, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Our new paper shows how particle surface charge influences grazing by the magnificent appendicularian. Spoiler, it may matter most to the smallest cells doi.org/10.1002/lno.... With Kelly Sutherland, Terra Hiebert, and @msarscentre.bsky.social in Norway.
This is Microsetella norvegica, a Harpacticoida copepod and it has a special job in the plankton. You see, it loves to munch on the discarded houses of Appendicularian tunicates. 1/3 #plankton 🦑
July 10, 2025 at 7:48 PM
This is Microsetella norvegica, a Harpacticoida copepod and it has a special job in the plankton. You see, it loves to munch on the discarded houses of Appendicularian tunicates. 1/3 #plankton 🦑
What did an appendicularian ever do to you??? They just drive around the ocean in their little glass houses, they ain’t bothering no one #notallmetazoans #larvacean
November 26, 2024 at 6:14 PM
What did an appendicularian ever do to you??? They just drive around the ocean in their little glass houses, they ain’t bothering no one #notallmetazoans #larvacean
To better understand the impact of #GeneLoss on the #evolution of mechanisms #development, during the PhD project of @gasparsanchez.bsky.social we investigated the #Fgf system on #appendicularian #tunicates, the sister group of vertebrates, in the context of our own phylum, the #chordates.
December 18, 2024 at 4:52 PM
To better understand the impact of #GeneLoss on the #evolution of mechanisms #development, during the PhD project of @gasparsanchez.bsky.social we investigated the #Fgf system on #appendicularian #tunicates, the sister group of vertebrates, in the context of our own phylum, the #chordates.
🎓 Defensa Tesi doctoral Marc Fabregà, dirigida pel Dr.Cañestro @geneticsub.bsky.social
📕Tailing free.The evolution of tail muscle in Oikopleura dioica sheds light on the transition to a fully free-swimming lifestyle in appendicularian tunicates
🗓️ 13 Nov
🕙 15:00
🏫 Aula Magna @biologiaub.bsky.social
📕Tailing free.The evolution of tail muscle in Oikopleura dioica sheds light on the transition to a fully free-swimming lifestyle in appendicularian tunicates
🗓️ 13 Nov
🕙 15:00
🏫 Aula Magna @biologiaub.bsky.social
November 3, 2025 at 1:17 PM
🎓 Defensa Tesi doctoral Marc Fabregà, dirigida pel Dr.Cañestro @geneticsub.bsky.social
📕Tailing free.The evolution of tail muscle in Oikopleura dioica sheds light on the transition to a fully free-swimming lifestyle in appendicularian tunicates
🗓️ 13 Nov
🕙 15:00
🏫 Aula Magna @biologiaub.bsky.social
📕Tailing free.The evolution of tail muscle in Oikopleura dioica sheds light on the transition to a fully free-swimming lifestyle in appendicularian tunicates
🗓️ 13 Nov
🕙 15:00
🏫 Aula Magna @biologiaub.bsky.social
Who among us has not wanted to snack on the discarded houses of Appendicularian tunicates?!?! Let them cast the first stone!
July 10, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Who among us has not wanted to snack on the discarded houses of Appendicularian tunicates?!?! Let them cast the first stone!
Tunicates! These 2 appeared in my sample this week. The first one is an Appendicularian (or larvacean) and is a tunicate that lives in the plankton all the time. They deserve their own post because their feeding behaviour is fantastic! 🦑 #plankton 1/2
June 4, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Tunicates! These 2 appeared in my sample this week. The first one is an Appendicularian (or larvacean) and is a tunicate that lives in the plankton all the time. They deserve their own post because their feeding behaviour is fantastic! 🦑 #plankton 1/2
Peristaltic pumps are common in industrial and even in everyday settings. A cosmopolitan marine organism (the appendicularian, Oikopleura dioica), uses a novel peristaltic pump based on a tail that undulates inside a tightly fitting chamber. Nov. 2023 paper: doi.org/10.1098/rsif...
June 4, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Peristaltic pumps are common in industrial and even in everyday settings. A cosmopolitan marine organism (the appendicularian, Oikopleura dioica), uses a novel peristaltic pump based on a tail that undulates inside a tightly fitting chamber. Nov. 2023 paper: doi.org/10.1098/rsif...
"LESS, but MORE" refers to the evolutionary framework characterized by massive gene losses accompanied by bursts of duplications that we describe in a MS just published in MBE about FGF evolution in appendicularian tunicates👉 bit.ly/3VGWSfd
@official-smbe.bsky.social
Here, our first #BLUETORIAL 🦋😁👇
@official-smbe.bsky.social
Here, our first #BLUETORIAL 🦋😁👇
December 18, 2024 at 4:52 PM
"LESS, but MORE" refers to the evolutionary framework characterized by massive gene losses accompanied by bursts of duplications that we describe in a MS just published in MBE about FGF evolution in appendicularian tunicates👉 bit.ly/3VGWSfd
@official-smbe.bsky.social
Here, our first #BLUETORIAL 🦋😁👇
@official-smbe.bsky.social
Here, our first #BLUETORIAL 🦋😁👇
The appendicularian eats nanoplankton and the ascidian larva is non-feeding I believe!
June 4, 2025 at 7:18 PM
The appendicularian eats nanoplankton and the ascidian larva is non-feeding I believe!
The massive losses and duplications of Fgfs are ancestral, occurring at the base of the appendicularian lineage, after its split from ascidians.
December 18, 2024 at 4:52 PM
The massive losses and duplications of Fgfs are ancestral, occurring at the base of the appendicularian lineage, after its split from ascidians.
We are very proud to share that the Centre's Appendicularian facility and head engineer/Oikopleura whisperer Anne Aasjord @aaasjord.bsky.social from @appygenetics.bsky.social are featured in a 🧪 documentary produced by @warholmfilm.bsky.social in collaboration with NORCE 🤩👏
Michael Sars Centre Appendicularian facility featured in a short documentary
Head engineer Anne Aasjord collaborated with researchers at NORCE on a project to better understand the ecological relevance of the small planktonic animals. The work was recently highlighted in a doc...
tinyurl.com
May 13, 2025 at 2:03 PM
We are very proud to share that the Centre's Appendicularian facility and head engineer/Oikopleura whisperer Anne Aasjord @aaasjord.bsky.social from @appygenetics.bsky.social are featured in a 🧪 documentary produced by @warholmfilm.bsky.social in collaboration with NORCE 🤩👏
As part of Bergen’s One Ocean Week, we had the pleasure of hosting a delegation of maritime industry professionals 🌊 It was great to hear their perspective and exchange ideas on how to better connect industry and academia. We wrapped up with a tour of our animal facilities - always a highlight 🔬
April 8, 2025 at 12:46 PM
As part of Bergen’s One Ocean Week, we had the pleasure of hosting a delegation of maritime industry professionals 🌊 It was great to hear their perspective and exchange ideas on how to better connect industry and academia. We wrapped up with a tour of our animal facilities - always a highlight 🔬
Introducing a contender for Most Elegant Animal in the Ocean: the Appendicularian! In Oct. 2023, Terra Hiebert and collaborators Anne Thompson and Carey Sweeney @bluewaterlab.bsky.social went to the @msarscentre.bsky.social in Bergen, Norway to study appendicularian feeding selectivity.
June 4, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Introducing a contender for Most Elegant Animal in the Ocean: the Appendicularian! In Oct. 2023, Terra Hiebert and collaborators Anne Thompson and Carey Sweeney @bluewaterlab.bsky.social went to the @msarscentre.bsky.social in Bergen, Norway to study appendicularian feeding selectivity.