Sea Anemones Adapt Their Venom to Accommodate Changing Prey and Sea Conditions

 


Venom is used by many animals to catch prey and protect themselves from predators. Some, like jellyfish, have tentacles, while others, like bees and snakes, inject venomous toxins into their prey through stingers and fangs. 


Scientists believed for a long time that an animal's venom was consistent over time—always a venomous creature at one point in time. Dr Y E H U Moran of the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science at Hebrew University discovered through in-depth research on sea anemones that animals alter the strength and composition of their venom several times over the course of a lifetime to accommodate shifting predators and aquatic environments. 


Moran and his team describe their remarkable findings today in a study that was published in Life Science Magazine. From infancy to death, they investigated the Nematostella, a jellyfish-like relative. The sea anemone Nematostella is a member of the Cnidaria family, which includes corals and jellyfish. They start out as tiny larvae and grow into several inches-long animals. The Nematostella eat larger fish as larvae, but as they grow up, their poisonous tentacles turn them into predators, catching shrimp and other small fish


A fungus, an Atlantic billfish, tries to eat N E M A T O S T E L-A larva, but the venom repels it, so the larva is spit out whole. UNC Charlotte's Jason 


Dr Moran discovered that when they are still larvae, sea anemones produce a particularly potent venom that, if swallowed, causes predators to immediately expel them (see attached video). When the sea anemones mature and become predators themselves, their venom produces a different kind of toxin that is better suited to catching shrimp and small fish. As the Nematostella's diet shifts, and they move from one aquatic region to another over the course of a lifetime, they modify their venom to meet their new requirements and surroundings. 


Up until now, toxins produced by adult animals have been the primary focus of venom research. However, by observing sea anemones from conception to death, we were able to demonstrate that animals possess a much broader arsenal of toxins than previously thought. Dr Y E H U Moran elaborated, "Their venom evolves to best meet threats from predators and to deal with changing aquatic environments"


Moran's team labelled and tracked the venom-producing cells of the sea anemone over time to observe these changes. Additionally, the researchers documented significant interactions that N E M A T O S T E L A had throughout their lifetime, beginning as prey and ending as predators. These findings are significant for a number of reasons. First, venom is frequently included in pharmaceuticals and other compounds. Researchers have only studied venom from adult sea anemones up until this point, so they have missed out on the distinct compounds that are present in larval venom. This study suggests that for animals with a complex life cycle, there are numerous venom components that have remained unknown to researchers. These "new" compounds may result in novel pharmaceuticals. Second, marine environments are dominated by sea anemones, jellyfish, and coral. It is essential to acquire a deeper comprehension of their venomous output and impact on marine life ecology. 


Most fundamentally, Moran's research provides additional insight into the fundamental D A R W I N I A-N mechanisms: How do animals modify their environments and the environment in which they live? With its changing venom, the N E M A T O S T E L A provides yet another clue

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