地中海海胆与发光藻类的神奇共生关系
Imagine a spiny creature crawling across the seafloor at night, suddenly glowing like a tiny underwater lantern. This is no science fiction—it is the everyday life of the Mediterranean sea urchin *Centrostephanus longispinus*. Found in rocky crevices off the coasts of Italy and Greece, this urchin has a hidden talent: it uses bioluminescent algae as a living flashlight.
The partnership is both practical and elegant. Tiny dinoflagellates—single-celled algae that produce light when disturbed—take shelter among the urchin's spines. In return, the urchin gains a defensive glow that startles predators such as octopuses and starfish. When a hungry octopus approaches, the urchin jostles its algal passengers, triggering a burst of blue-green light that confuses the attacker and buys the urchin precious seconds to escape.
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