Tunicate

Tunicates (sea squirts or Urochordata) are a subphylum of the

Chordates. Tunicates

They are sea filter-feeders: they live mainly on plankton. They are
called tunicates because the adult form is covered by a leathery
tunic. This tunic supports and protects the animal. The adults are
sessile, stuck to rocks.

Many tunicates are colonial or semi-colonial in their adult stage.

They are quite a large group, containing about 3,000 species. The
adults live mostly on the sea floor, in the littoral zone.

Contents Sea Tulips, Pyura spinifera.

Feeding A symbiotic sponge covers its
Life cycle surface.

Relationships Scientific classification

Discoveries Kingdom: Animalia
Related pages Phylum: Chordata
References
Subphylum: Tunicata
Giribet et al 2000

Feeding
The sea squirt has two openings in its small body. One opening,
called the oral siphon, sucks water into the animal; the other
opening, called the atrial siphon, squirts water out of the animal.
Inside is a little basket-like sieve which traps food: so these sea
squirts are filter feeders. The Sea squirt can close the holes in its
siphons, like a drawstring can close the opening in a bag.

Life cycle
When in its larval state, it looks like a tadpole and is sometimes Bluebell tunicates
called a tadpole larva. Like many sea creatures, a sea squirt larva
looks very different from an adult sea squirt. The larva swims for
a short time and then attaches itself to something on the sea floor, like a rock, transforming into its adult form.
It usually stays in one place for the rest of its life.

Relationships
Tunicates are more closely related to craniates (hagfish, lampreys,
jawed vertebrates) than to lancelets, echinoderms, hemichordates,
or other invertebrates.[1][2][3]

Discoveries
Chemical substances which might help fight diseases like cancer
or various viruses have been found in some species.

Scientists have also found out that some species can heal some Colonies of tunicate Botrylloides
damage done to them, over several generations. A similar process violaceus. Note new zooid buds within
might be possible for humans.[4] colonies and along margins of colonies.

Related pages
Salp: these are noticed in the Southern Ocean near
Antarctica. Their huge swarms may outnumber the
krill.

References
1. Delsuc F., Brinkmann H., Chourrout D. & Philippe H.
(2006). "Tunicates and not cephalochordates are the
closest living relatives of vertebrates". Nature. 439
(7079): 965–968. doi:10.1038/nature04336 (https://doi. Colony of Botryllus.
org/10.1038%2Fnature04336). PMID 16495997 (http
s://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16495997).
2. Delsuc F., Tsagkogeorga G., Lartillot N. & Philippe H. (2008). "Additional molecular support for
the new chordate phylogeny". Genesis. 46 (11): 592–604. doi:10.1002/dvg.20450 (https://doi.or
g/10.1002%2Fdvg.20450). PMID 19003928 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19003928).
3. Singh T. R., Tsagkogeorga G., Delsuc F., Blanquart S., Shenkar N., Loya Y., Douzery E. J. &
Huchon D. (2009). "Tunicate mitogenomics and phylogenetics: peculiarities of the Herdmania
momus mitochondrial genome and support for the new chordate phylogeny" (http://www.biome
dcentral.com/1471-2164/10/534). BMC Genomics. 10 (1): 534. doi:10.1186/1471-2164-10-534
(https://doi.org/10.1186%2F1471-2164-10-534). PMC 2785839 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p
mc/articles/PMC2785839). PMID 19922605 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19922605).
4. Sea Squirt, heal thyself: scientists make major breakthrough in regenerative medicine (http://w
ww.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070424093740.htm)

Solomon E. Berg L. & Martin D. 2002. Biology. Brooks/Cole.

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