Episode 16. Algae-Animal Symbiotic Relationships

After a quite serious and heavy episode about alga blooms, we decided to talk about something more positive, more summer vibe-y. So in this episode, we talk about harmony, a certain kind that is called symbiosis.

There are many cases of symbiotic relationships between algae and animals, and we wanted to highlight some of the most curious stories in our opinion.

One of the most amazing facts that Jack and I have noticed was that not every symbiotic combination is mutually beneficial which is usually exactly the idea of symbiosis. Turns out sometimes one of the parties gets less or maybe even nothing at all. Nature works in exciting ways.

Here are the stories we talked about:

• GENITALS-BREATHING TURTLE WITH GREEN ALGAE ‘HAIR’ FACES POSSIBLE EXTINCTION, GROUP SAYS
• Sloth fur has symbiotic relationship with green algae
• Spotted Salamanders And Green Algae Have A Strange Symbiotic Relationship
• Elysia viridis, the solar-powered sea slug

A bonus story that didn’t make it into the show is about crabs taking care of algae to keep those healthy and thus get protection for themselves.

Cover art by Pilow Dash

Tagged as: algae,  symbiosis,  slugs,  salamander,  sloth,  turtles.