Iridocytes in Detail (IMAGE)
Caption
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Santa Barbara, have now shown how giant clams use iridescent structures to thrive, operating as exceedingly efficient, living greenhouses that grow symbiotic algae as a source of food. This understanding could have implications for alternative energy research, paving the way for new types of solar panels or bioreactors. These structures, known as iridocytes (in detail here), give the clams their spectacular color. Sunlight at the equator is too intense for their algae to be efficient; iridocytes help filter that light.
Credit
Alison Sweeney
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