View source for Biology:Oikopleura

{{Short description|Genus of marine filter feeders}}
{{Automatic taxobox 
| image = Oikopleura dioica.tif
| image_caption = ''Oikopleura dioica''
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Oikopleura
| authority = Mertens, 1830
| subdivision_ranks = Species
}}

'''''Oikopleura''''' is a [[Biology:Genus|genus]] of [[Biology:Tunicate|tunicate]]s in the class [[Biology:Larvacean|Appendicularia]] (larvaceans). It forms a [[Biology:Larvacean#House|mucus house]] every four hours at 20 degrees Celsius. This house has a coarse mesh to keep out big particles, and a fine mesh that collects the small particles, down to the nanoplankton that includes (pelagic) [[Biology:Bacteria|bacteria]].

Abandoned mucus houses sink to the deep, collecting organic particles during their descent. They make an important contribution to [[Biology:Marine snow|marine snow]], since ''Oikopleura'' is abundant and is a very active filterer, using powerful strokes of its tail. Its abundance is less obvious from preserved samples (that are usually analyzed) because the gelatinous body disappears in the preservation process while leaving hardly any trace.

Species of ''Oikopleura'' have the smallest genomes in the animal kingdom, only about 75Mb.

''Oikopleura'' contains bioluminescent species.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Herring |first1=Peter J. |title=Systematic distribution of bioluminescence in living organisms |journal=Journal of Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence |date=1987 |issue=3|volume=1 |pages=147–163|doi=10.1002/bio.1170010303 |pmid=3503524 }}</ref> About half of ''Oikopleura'' species are bioluminescent.<ref name="Galt1984">{{cite journal|last1=Galt|first1=Charles P.|last2=Grober|first2=Matthews S.|last3=Sykes|first3=Paul F.|title=Taxonomic correlates of bioluminescence among appendicularians (Urochordata: Larvacea)|journal=The Biological Bulletin|volume=168|issue=1|year=1985|pages=125–134|doi=10.2307/1541178|jstor=1541178|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/36571 }}</ref><ref name="HaddockMoline2010">{{cite journal|last1=Haddock|first1=Steven H.D.|last2=Moline|first2=Mark A.|last3=Case|first3=James F.|title=Bioluminescence in the Sea|journal=Annual Review of Marine Science|volume=2|issue=1|year=2010|pages=443–493|issn=1941-1405|doi=10.1146/annurev-marine-120308-081028|pmid=21141672|bibcode=2010ARMS....2..443H}}</ref>

== Etymology ==

The genus name comes from ''oikos'' (meaning "house") and ''pleura'' ("rib", or "side of the body"), referring to their ability to build a [[Biology:Larvacean#House|mucus house]] like other larvaceans.<ref name="antarctica">{{cite thesis|url=https://eprints.utas.edu.au/14773/2/whole-lindsay-thesis-exc-pub-mat.pdf|title=Distribution and abundance of Larvaceans in the Southern Ocean|date=June 2012|publisher=University of Tasmania|last1=Lindsay|first1=Margaret Caroline Murray}}</ref>

== Taxonomy ==

=== Phylogeny ===

''Oikopleura'' has been found to possibly be paraphyletic with respect to several other [[Biology:Oikopleuridae|oikopleurid]] genera, namely: ''[[Biology:Folia (tunicate)|Folia]]'', ''Stegosoma'', ''Mesoikopleura'', and ''[[Biology:Megalocercus|Megalocercus]]''. The genus might also harbour more diversity than thought, with [[Biology:Species complex|species complex]]es like ''[[Biology:Oikopleura dioica|Oikopleura dioica]]'' comprising several reproductively incompatible clades despite consistent general morphology.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-022-04145-5|title=The cosmopolitan appendicularian Oikopleura dioica reveals hidden genetic diversity around the globe|journal=Marine Biology|issue=12|last1=Masunaga|first1=Aki|year=2022 |volume=169 |doi=10.1007/s00227-022-04145-5 |s2cid=251556065 |display-authors=0|hdl=2445/195065|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

=== List of species ===

* ''Oikopleura (Coecaria)'' <small>{{interlanguage link multi|Hans Lohmann (zoologist)|de|Hans Lohmann (Zoologe)|lt=Lohmann}}, 1933</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Coecaria) fusiformis'' <small>Fol, 1872</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
*** ''Oikopleura (Coecaria) fusiformis cornutogastra'' <small>Aida, 1907</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Coecaria) gracilis'' <small>Lohmann, 1896</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Coecaria) intermedia'' <small>Lohmann, 1896</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Coecaria) longicauda'' <small> (Vogt, 1854)</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
* ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria)'' <small>Lohmann, 1933</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria) albicans'' <small> (Leuckart, 1853)</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria) caudaornata'' <small> (Fenaux & Youngbluth, 1991) </small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''[[Biology:Oikopleura cophocerca|Oikopleura (Vexillaria) cophocerca]]'' <small> (Gegenbaur, 1855)</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''[[Biology:Oikopleura dioica|Oikopleura (Vexillaria) dioica]]'' <small>Fol, 1872</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria) gaussica'' <small>Lohmann, 1905</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria) gorskyi'' <small>Flood, 2000</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria) inflata'' <small> (Fenaux & Youngbluth, 1991)</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria) labradoriensis'' <small>Lohmann, 1892</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria) parva'' <small>Lohmann, 1896</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria) rufescens'' <small>Fol, 1872</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria) vanhoeffeni'' <small>Lohman, 1896</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>
** ''Oikopleura (Vexillaria) villafrancae'' <small>Fenaux, 1992</small><ref name="WoRMS, 2012"/>

==Distribution==
The oikopleurids are distributed in the tropical waters of all oceans and seas of the globe, having been reported widely in the Caribbean Sea and the western coasts of the [[Earth:Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic Ocean]].<ref>Flores-Coto C. 1965: Notas preliminares sobre la identificación de las apendicularias de las aguas veracruzanas. Anales del Instituto de Biología (México) 35: 293-296.</ref><ref>Flores-Coto C.. 1974: Contribución al conocimiento de las apendicularias del arrecife “La Blanquilla” Veracruz, México con descripción de una nueva especie. Anales del Centro de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 1: 41-60.</ref><ref>Flores-Coto, César., Sanvicente-Añorve,  Laura. & Sánchez-Ramírez, Marina. 2010: Appendicularian distribution and diversity in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Distribución y diversidad de apendicularias en el sur del golfo de México. ''Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad'', '''81''':123- 131. [http://www.ejournal.unam.mx/bio/BIO81-02/BIO081000217.pdf PDF] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051735/http://www.ejournal.unam.mx/bio/BIO81-02/BIO081000217.pdf |date=2016-03-04 }}</ref><ref>Castellanos, I. A. and E. Suárez-Morales. 2009. Appendicularia (Urochordata) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 1217–1221 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.</ref><ref>Márquez, Brightdoom., Marín, Baumar., Zoppi, Evelyn. & Moreno, Carlos. 2006: Zooplancton del Golfo De Cariaco. ''Bol. Inst. Oceanogr. Venezuela, Univ. Oriente.'' '''45'''(1):61-78 [http://ri.biblioteca.udo.edu.ve/bitstream/123456789/1204/1/06-Marquez.pdf PDF] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322020021/http://ri.biblioteca.udo.edu.ve/bitstream/123456789/1204/1/06-Marquez.pdf |date=2011-03-22 }}</ref><ref>Zoopp, Evelyn. 1971: Apendicularias de la Región Oriental de Venezuela. ''Studies on the Fauna of Curaçao and other caribbean Island'', 132:76-109. Lam I – VI.</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Carvalho | first1 = Pedro Freitas de. | last2 = Bonecker | first2 = Sérgio Luiz Costa | year = 2010 | title = Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Appendicularian Density and Taxonomic Composition in the Caravelas Estuary (Northeastern Brazil) and Adjacent Coastal Area | journal = Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology | volume = 53 | issue = 1| pages = 161–169 | doi = 10.1590/s1516-89132010000100020 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>Esnal G. 1972: Apendicularias de la desembocadura del Río de la Plata. Physis (Argentina) 31: 259-272.</ref><ref>Esnal G. 1973: Apendicularias de las costas argentinas. Physis (Argentina) 32: 267-273.</ref><ref>Esnal G.  1979: Características generales de la distribución de tunicados pelágicos del Atlántico sudoccidental, con algunas observaciones morfológicas. Physis (Argentina) 38: 91-102.</ref><ref>Esnal G.  1981: Apendicularia. In: Boltovskoy (ed) Atlas del zooplancton del Atlántico sudoccidental y métodos de trabajo con el zooplancton marino: 809-820. Publicación Especial, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero, Mar del Plata, Argentina. 936 pp.</ref><ref>Esnal G. 1999: Appendicularia. In: Boltovskoy D (ed). South Atlantic zooplancton: 1375-1399. Backhuys Publication, Leiden, The Netherlands.</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Esnal | first1 = G. | last2 = Castro | first2 = R. | year = 1977 | title = Distributional and biometrical study of appendicularians from the west south Atlantic. Ocean | journal = Hydrobiologia | volume = 56 | issue = 3| page = 241 | doi = 10.1007/bf00017510 | s2cid = 21118473 }}</ref>

==''Oikopleura dioica''==
{{Main|Biology:Oikopleura dioica}}
A species of particular interest under this genus is the ''[[Biology:Oikopleura dioica|Oikopleura dioica]]'', which is an anomaly among chordates. It has retained the fundamental body plan of the chordate; yet, it has lost the mechanism for [[Chemistry:Retinoic acid|retinoic acid]] signaling which operates during chordate development. The loss raises the question of the evolutionary constraints that have prevented similar changes in the other chordates.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Holland | first1 = Linda Z | year = 2007 | title = Developmental biology: A chordate with a difference | journal = Nature | volume = 447 | issue = 1| pages = 153–55 | doi = 10.1038/447153a | pmid = 17495912 | bibcode = 2007Natur.447..153H | s2cid = 5549210 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

''Oikopleura dioica'' [[Biology:Hox gene|hox gene]]s are distributed in nine locations around the genome whereas other [[Biology:Chordate|chordate]]s have a cluster of hox genes.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Seo|first1=Hee-Chan|last2=Edvardsen|first2=Rolf Brudvik|last3=Maeland|first3=Anne Dorthea|last4=Bjordal|first4=Marianne|last5=Jensen|first5=Marit Flo|last6=Hansen|first6=Anette|last7=Flaat|first7=Mette|last8=Weissenbach|first8=Jean|last9=Lehrach|first9=Hans|last10=Wincker|first10=Patrick|last11=Reinhardt|first11=Richard|date=September 2004|title=Hox cluster disintegration with persistent anteroposterior order of expression in Oikopleura dioica|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02709|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=431|issue=7004|pages=67–71|doi=10.1038/nature02709|pmid=15343333 |bibcode=2004Natur.431...67S |s2cid=4398158 |issn=1476-4687}}</ref> Of note, this is the first chordate among the eukaryotes found to have [[Biology:Operon|operon]]s.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Blumenthal | first1 = T | year = 2004 | title = Operons in eukaryotes | journal = Briefings in Functional Genomics and Proteomics | volume = 3 | issue = 3| pages = 199–211 | doi = 10.1093/bfgp/3.3.199 | pmid = 15642184 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="WoRMS, 2012">World Register of Marine Species: Oikopleura Mertens, 1830 AphiaID: 103367 http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=103367</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=159668 Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS): ''Oikopleura'' Taxonomic Serial No.: 159668]
* [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=34763&lvl=0 National Center for Biotechnologu Information (NCFI): ''Oikopleura'' Taxonomy ID: 34763]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140116080104/http://jellieszone.com/oikopleura.htm Jellieszone: ''Oikopleura dioica'' Fol, 1872 : Larvacean]
* [http://www.genoscope.cns.fr/externe/GenomeBrowser/Oikopleura/ ''Oikopleura'' Genome Browser]
* [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oikopleura Merriam-Webster: ''Oikopleura'']

===Videos===
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtVv4Lf1jkE Youtube: Larvacea (''Oikopleura dioica'')]

===Photos===
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/a_semenov/50087543497/in/faves-46925878@N03/ Flickr: Oikopleura sp. in the house]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q3639186}}

[[Category:Appendicularia]]
[[Category:Tunicate genera]]

{{Sourceattribution|Oikopleura}}