Biologists at Heidelberg University uncovered an example of convergence in unicellular organisms: dinoflagellates and cnidarians. Assistant Professor Suat Özbek and Professor Thomas Holstein discovered that the two organisms developed similar miniature weapons for prey capture. The weapons are stinging capsules known nematocysts. The capsule forcefully ejects the spear-tipped tubule coiled inside, and penetrates their prey while simultaneously injecting paralysing poisons. However, after research, the biologists discovered that the two organisms don’t match up; they use entirely different genes and proteins to construct their weapons.
This study is interesting because it shows the similarities in methods of capturing prey in organisms, despite being genetically different. How/why did these organisms evolve to use this method? I wonder what other organisms have similar ways of getting their prey or warding off predators?
Cnidaria on left, dinoflagellates on right:
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