3 ms·

They're not even technically one organism, but colonies of independent but mostly specialized organisms. I'd be willing to bet that has something to do with the

They're not even technically one organism, but colonies of independent but mostly specialized organisms. I'd be willing to bet that has something to do with the articles title

andsoitis 3mo ago
True jellyfish (like moon jellies, box jellyfish)are a single organism, just like you or me. Theres a single genome and one body. Portuguese man o’ war is not a single organism at all but a siphonophore, a colony of many genetically identical but specialized individual organisms called zooids, all fused together and functionally dependent on each other.
- sophrosyne42 3mo ago
  Whats the difference between a siphonophore and a single organism? Aren't all the organs of an organism genetically identical, specialized, fused together, and functionally dependent on each other?
  - timschmidt 3mo ago
    It's a very fuzzy line. But according to The Octopus Lady's video in the other comment, it's because separating them from the other zooids doesn't result in immediate death. They may die later due to lack of ability to swim, or eat, but that is a secondary cause which is considered important.
    - thaumasiotes 3mo ago
      It's just a fact about the evolutionary history. You are a "multicellular" organism; you are composed of a bunch of genetically identical cells that fuse with each other and differentiate their development to specialize in certain tasks. It's not just your organs; your entire being is like that. Siphonophores are identical, except that they can be subdivided into units that are, much like organs, composed of multiple cells. Those units can be identified as evolutionary derivations of certain branches of the tree of life. This is more similar to your mitochondria, which are (like zooids) identifiable as having once been independent organisms, though unlike zooids your mitochondria are not genetically identical to you.
      - thaumasiotes 3mo ago
        > It's not just your organs; your entire being is like that. Actually, it bears pointing out that significant parts of you, like your blood, remain single-celled even though you're "multicellular".
        UltraSane 3mo ago
        Immune system is mostly single cells
        timschmidt 3mo ago
        True. And also amazing how complex their interactions can be! Just because immune cells are often individually motile, does not mean they're not intimately interoperating within an incredibly complex social ecology of cells. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_cell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_cell is full of surprises.
  - deleted 3mo ago
    [deleted]
  - andsoitis 3mo ago
    [flagged]
  - pvaldes 3mo ago
    its anatomy
- thaumasiotes 3mo ago
  Your comment has completely failed to distinguish "organisms" from "siphonophores". As you describe yourself, a siphonophore also has a single genome and one body.
timschmidt 3mo ago
You're thinking of Siphonophores like the Portugese Man-o-war. The Octopus Lady has a wonderful video on them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipDpbYQdFEA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipDpbYQdFEA

They're not even technically one organism, but colonies of independent but mostly specialized organisms. I'd be willing to bet that has something to do with the articles title

andsoitis 3mo ago

True jellyfish (like moon jellies, box jellyfish)are a single organism, just like you or me. Theres a single genome and one body. Portuguese man o’ war is not a single organism at all but a siphonophore, a colony of many genetically identical but specialized individual organisms called zooids, all fused together and functionally dependent on each other.

sophrosyne42 3mo ago
Whats the difference between a siphonophore and a single organism? Aren't all the organs of an organism genetically identical, specialized, fused together, and functionally dependent on each other?
- timschmidt 3mo ago
  It's a very fuzzy line. But according to The Octopus Lady's video in the other comment, it's because separating them from the other zooids doesn't result in immediate death. They may die later due to lack of ability to swim, or eat, but that is a secondary cause which is considered important.
  - thaumasiotes 3mo ago
    It's just a fact about the evolutionary history. You are a "multicellular" organism; you are composed of a bunch of genetically identical cells that fuse with each other and differentiate their development to specialize in certain tasks. It's not just your organs; your entire being is like that. Siphonophores are identical, except that they can be subdivided into units that are, much like organs, composed of multiple cells. Those units can be identified as evolutionary derivations of certain branches of the tree of life. This is more similar to your mitochondria, which are (like zooids) identifiable as having once been independent organisms, though unlike zooids your mitochondria are not genetically identical to you.
    - thaumasiotes 3mo ago
      > It's not just your organs; your entire being is like that. Actually, it bears pointing out that significant parts of you, like your blood, remain single-celled even though you're "multicellular".
      - UltraSane 3mo ago
        Immune system is mostly single cells
        timschmidt 3mo ago
        True. And also amazing how complex their interactions can be! Just because immune cells are often individually motile, does not mean they're not intimately interoperating within an incredibly complex social ecology of cells. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_cell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_cell is full of surprises.
- deleted 3mo ago
  [deleted]
- andsoitis 3mo ago
  [flagged]
- pvaldes 3mo ago
  its anatomy
thaumasiotes 3mo ago
Your comment has completely failed to distinguish "organisms" from "siphonophores". As you describe yourself, a siphonophore also has a single genome and one body.

timschmidt 3mo ago

You're thinking of Siphonophores like the Portugese Man-o-war. The Octopus Lady has a wonderful video on them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipDpbYQdFEA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipDpbYQdFEA