About 3,000 species of tunicate exist in the world's oceans, living mostly in shallow water. The most numerous … Meer weergeven

Colonies of tunicates occur in a range of forms, and vary in the degree to which individual organisms, known as zooids, integrate with one another. In the simplest systems, the individual animals are widely sep… Meer weergeven

Nearly all adult tunicates are suspension feeders (the larval form usually does not feed), capturing planktonic particles by filtering sea water through their bodies. Ascidians are typical in their digestive proc… Meer weergeven

Ascidians are almost all hermaphrodites and each has a single ovary and testis, either near the gut or on the body wall. In some solitary species, sperm and eggs are shed into the sea and the larvae are planktonic. In othe… Meer weergeven

Over the past few decades, tunicates (notably of the genera Didemnum and Styela) have been invading coastal waters in many countries. The carpet tunicate (Didemnum vexillum) has taken over a 6.5 sq mi (17 km ) are… Meer weergeven

Tunicates contain a host of potentially useful chemical compounds, including:
• Plitidepsin, a didemnin effective against various types of cancer; as of late January 2021 undergoing Phase III trials as a treat… Meer weergeven