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Science 13 September 1974:
Vol. 185. no. 4155, pp. 951 - 953
DOI: 10.1126/science.185.4155.951
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Articles

Toxicity in Sponges and Holothurians: A Geographic Pattern

Gerald J. Bakus 1 and Gerardo Green 1

1 Allan Hancock Foundation, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90007

Toxicity in sponges and holothurians is inversely related to latitude and may reach 100 percent for holothurians in high-diversity coral reefs. Evidence from approximately 700 experiments and from underwater observations suggests that predation by fish has resulted in natural selection for noxious and toxic chemical compounds in species within these taxa.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Ecology of Antarctic Marine Sponges: An Overview.
J. B. McClintock, C. D. Amsler, B. J. Baker, and R. W. M. van Soest (2005)
Integr. Comp. Biol. 45, 359-368
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Secondary Metabolites as Mediators of Trophic Interactions Among Antarctic Marine Organisms.
C. D. Amsler, J. B. McClintock, and B. J. Baker (2001)
Integr. Comp. Biol. 41, 17-26
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Chemical defense mechanisms on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
G. Bakus (1981)
Science 211, 497-499
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