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Symbiosis across the tree of life
Symbiosis research has become a holistic and pervasive field with a mature theoretical basis. Extraordinary diversity in symbiotic relationships exists across the tree of life. The aim of this collection is to showcase the diversity of these relationships, exploring their evolutionary basis and underlying mechanisms. This image shows the ciliate Paramecium bursaria, a key model system for studying symbiosis. P. bursaria is a single-celled protist of about 0.1 mm in length which harbors over 100 green algae. The purple is the autofluorescence of the chlorophyll in the algal cells, while the light blue stain highlights the two Paramecium host nuclei. The yellow flecks indicate the Paramecium lysosomes; vesicle compartments filled with digestive enzymes which the host will use to punish and destroy algal endosymbionts that misbehave.
Image Credit: Estelle Kilias