Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology

Cnidarians — the group encompassing jellyfish, corals, sea anemones, and hydroids — occupy a pivotal position in animal evolutionary history as some of the earliest animals to develop organized nervous systems and complex body plans. Researchers study their genomic architecture, signaling pathways like Wnt, and stem cell biology to reconstruct how foundational animal traits first emerged more than 600 million years ago, making cnidarians a living window into metazoan origins. At the same time, modern ecological pressures have intensified jellyfish blooms in coastal waters worldwide, raising urgent questions about how these ancient animals respond to and reshape marine environments. Open questions center on how cnidarian neural systems evolved independently of or in parallel with those of bilaterians, and how genomic organization in these animals can clarify the earliest steps in the diversification of multicellular life.

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130,921

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Keywords

Cnidarian EvolutionJellyfish BloomsGenomic OrganizationNeural SystemsWnt SignalingStem Cells