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Chordata
Ascidiacea
EOL Text
Ascidiacea (ascidians) preys on:
plankton
detritus
Based on studies in:
Chile, central Chile (Littoral, Rocky shore)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- J. C. Castilla, Perspectivas de investigacion en estructura y dinamica de communidades intermareales rocosas de Chile Central. II. Depredadores de alto nivel trofico, Medio Ambiente 5(1-2):190-215, from p. 203 (1981).
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
| Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Ascidiacea (ascidians) is prey of:
Concholepas concholepas
Based on studies in:
Chile, central Chile (Littoral, Rocky shore)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- J. C. Castilla, Perspectivas de investigacion en estructura y dinamica de communidades intermareales rocosas de Chile Central. II. Depredadores de alto nivel trofico, Medio Ambiente 5(1-2):190-215, from p. 203 (1981).
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
| Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Predators vary depending on life-stage. Ascidian larvae are eaten by other pelagic organisims, including fish and jellyfish. Among the predators of the sessile adults are fish, gastropods, flatworms, and birds. Many ascidians produce secondary metabolites or organic acids, sequestered in their tunics, which serve as a defense against predation (Pisut & Pawlik 2002).
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Soulanille, Elaine, Soulanille, Elaine, EOL Rapid Response Team |
| Source | http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/pages/26324 |
Many species are highly invasive, spreading rapidly and smothering or out-competing other benthic organisms.
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Soulanille, Elaine, Soulanille, Elaine, EOL Rapid Response Team |
| Source | http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/pages/26324 |
Most ascidians are hermaphroditic and typically cross-fertilize, but some can self (Ruppert et al 2004).
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Soulanille, Elaine, Soulanille, Elaine, EOL Rapid Response Team |
| Source | http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/pages/26324 |
"Unlike the adult, the tadpole larvae expresses all the key chordate traits, but it differs from the ancestral chordate in that it does not feed" (Ruppert et al 2004). Adults lack the notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, and postanal tail.
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Soulanille, Elaine, Soulanille, Elaine, EOL Rapid Response Team |
| Source | http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/pages/26324 |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records:2790
Specimens with Sequences:2325
Specimens with Barcodes:2024
Species:255
Species With Barcodes:218
Public Records:1820
Public Species:187
Public BINs:273
Genomic DNA is available from 3 specimens with morphological vouchers housed at British Antarctic Survey
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Text can be freely copied and altered, as long as original author and source are properly acknowledged. |
| Source | http://www.oglf.org/catalog/details.php?id=T00234 |
Ascidians are sessile marine invertebrates, occurring throughout the world, usually in shallow waters and attached to hard surfaces. The family includes over 2000 described species, many of which are colonial -- along with some of the Thaliacea, the only colonial chordates. When disturbed, ascidians often forcibly eject water from their siphons -- the reason for their common name, "sea squirts."
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Soulanille, Elaine, Soulanille, Elaine, EOL Rapid Response Team |
| Source | http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/pages/26324 |