Natural History Wanderings

The New York Times reports

It’s the first known case of an animal helping algae reproduce, and could suggest that pollination first evolved in the world’s ancient oceans.

In a study, published Thursday in the journal Science, scientists found that a tiny crustacean, Idotea balthica, played the role of pollinator for a species of seaweed. They do this by inadvertently collecting the algae’s sticky spermatia, its equivalent of pollen, on their bodies and sprinkling it around as they move from frond to frond in search of food and shelter.

Read more at Like Bees of the Seas, These Crustaceans Pollinate Seaweed – The New York Times