Symbioses of marine animals and microorganisms

Simbioza je zajednički život dvaju ili više različitih organizama i izravno je utjecala na razvoj života na Zemlji, a danas je raširena po cijeloj biosferi i ima veliku ulogu u morskim ekosustavima. Životinje žive i evoluiraju u moru mikroorganizama. Simbioze životinja s kemosintetskim bakterijama omogućavaju život u ekstremnim morskim staništima, simbioze koralja i zooksantela temelj su postojanja cijelog ekosustava, a simbioze životinja s bioluminiscentim bakterijama su česte u moru i od velike ekološke važnosti. Primjenom molekularno-bioloških tehnika poput sekvenciranja DNA koje ne zahtjevaju kultivaciju otvorio se novi prozor u svijet mikroorganizama, te je sve jasnije da su oni ključni za zdravlje i razvoj životinja, od spužvi pa do čovjeka.Symbiosis is the living together of dissimilar organisms and it has directly impacted the course of development of life on Earth. Today it is widespread in the biosphere, also having great importance in marine ecosystems. Animals live and evolve in a sea of microorganisms. Symbioses of animals with chemosynthetic bacteria enable life in extreme marine habitats, symbioses of corals and zooxanthellae are the foundation of a whole ecosystem and symbioses of animals with bioluminescent bacteria are present in all marine habitats and are of great ecological importance. With the application of molecular-biology techniques like DNA sequencing which do not rely on cultivation, a new window has been opened that peers into the world of microorganisms and thus it is becoming clear that they are fundamental for proper health and development of animals, ranging from sponge to man