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4 different lifeforms each symbiotically dependent on the other 3

4 different lifeforms each symbiotically dependent on the other 3

Science

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The cicada insect has been discovered to have evolved to have a symbioses with no less than 3 different stains of bacteria in its cells but each of these bacterial strains has evolved to become symbiotically dependent on the other 2 thus making this a truly 4-way symbiotic relationship in total if you include the cicada insect itself.


http://phys.org/news/2014-08-cicada-genomes-function.html


Originally posted by humy
The cicada insect has been discovered to have evolved to have a symbioses with no less than 3 different stains of bacteria in its cells but each of these bacterial strains has evolved to become symbiotically dependent on the other 2 thus making this a truly 4-way symbiotic relationship in total if you include the cicada insect itself.


http://phys.org/news/2014-08-cicada-genomes-function.html
As I was reading the first part of that story, I immediately jumped to the idea of organelles in human tissue and most of the rest of life on Earth. It seemed to be a big hint as to how that particular symbiosis came to be.

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Originally posted by humy

http://phys.org/news/2014-08-cicada-genomes-function.html
God sure does move in mysterious ways.