Collaborative Research: RUI: Beyond Colloblasts: Fast-acting predation for trophic success in ctenophores

Ctenophores, commonly called comb jellies, are gelatinous animals that are significant predators in the world’s oceans. Because of their key predatory role in ocean ecosystems, it is important to understand how they capture prey in order to fully comprehend how they impact ocean food webs. Ctenophores are commonly thought to use sticky cells, called colloblasts, to capture prey. However, previous observations provide strong evidence suggesting that ctenophores use neurotoxic chemicals to anesthetize their prey and that this is the primary mechanism they use to capture and ingest prey. This study will investigate the role of these neurotoxic chemicals for prey capture by ctenophores by quantifying (a) how these chemicals incapacitate prey, (b) how common these chemicals are among different types of ctenophores, and (c) how effective these chemicals are on different types of prey. The project is expected to yield a transformative understanding of the mechanisms behind the remarkable success of a group of seemin This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.