「经济学人」Bivalve broadband

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Bivalve broadband Heart-cockle shells may work like fibre-optic cables Inbuilt lenses transmit sunlight to symbiotic algae SLURPING OYSTERS from their shells may be a rare indulgence for humans, but these bivalve molluscs and their relatives, such as clams and mussels, slurp for a living. Most are filter feeders, ingesting microscopic organisms as well as debris from their aquatic environments. A handful of mollusc species, however, have formed symbiotic partnerships with algae that live within their tissues. These individuals augment their diet with sugars that their microscopic partners produce through photosynthesis. Some species, such as giant clams, must open their shells in order to give the algae the sunlight they need. But smaller relatives called heart cockles are able to nourish their internal algae farms without popping their lids. A recent preprint claims to have worked out how. These heart cockles are able to channel sunlight through their shells using the biological equiv ………………………………