Ctenophores, also known as comb jellies are a group of animals found in nearly all marine environments (coastal and oceanic, deep sea as well as surface waters). Most species are planktonic and move by the beating of eight ciliary bands, which is the distinct morphological character uniting the group. About one-third of described species, known as benthic ctenophores, have secondarily derived bilaterally symmetric adult body plans and often live as ectoparasites on other marine invertebrates.

The late nineteenth century was a golden age of ctenophore research during which many key discoveries were made. Yet, these animals went largely unstudied for most of the twentieth century. Several factors have led to a resurgence in interest of ctenophores of late, including: (1) new ideas about the phylogenetic position of the group, (2) implications of their phylogenetic position on the evolution of animal cell types, (3) improved protocols for molecular experimentation, and (4) new ideas about their ecology and invasive biology. In light of this growing interest, we organized Ctenopalooza, the first formal international meeting dedicated to ctenophore biology (ctenophorology).

On March 14–15, 2016, 75 researchers representing 12 countries met for 2 days at the University of Florida’s Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in St. Augustine, FL, to discuss ctenophorology. There were 50 accepted abstracts, 26 oral presentations, and 24 posters. Sessions included: (1) Fossils/diversity/phylogeny, (2) Nerve and muscle cells, (3) Ecology/behavior/taxonomy, (4) Metagenomics/slime, (5) Genes/cells/development, (6) Evolutionary genomics, (7) Benthic ctenophores, and (8) a closing keynote, which included a perspective on the phylogenetic position of ctenophores as well as future calls to action for the ctenophore community. These calls to action included an appeal to stop shoehorning ctenophore biology into cnidarian and bilaterian biology, better communication on why ctenophores are interesting with an emphasis on how they differ from other animals, to meet again in the next few years, and to seek out the unique biology of ctenophores.

Two poster sessions were each opened with 2-minute lightning talks where each presenter gave an overview of their poster. These lightning talks successfully sparked discussion among participants and led to lively discourse in front of posters. The posters featured a range of research topics including biomechanics, biogeography, regeneration, neuroscience, embryology, genomics, invasive biology, horizontal gene transfer and more. Two posters even included tanks with live benthic ctenophores!

The future of ctenophorology is bright. A discussion during the last session of the meeting led to ideas on important topics for future research centering around the remarkable biology of these animals. Some examples of topics put forward were: bioluminescence, macrocilia (e.g., the “teeth” of Beroe), colloblasts, the statolith, unipolar cleavage, male/female pronuclear fusion, non-polarized neurites, a Hox-free primary body axis, and invasive biology. It will be important to establish a powerful experimental model ctenophore that can be used to address many of these topics. M. leidyi is the most obvious choice given the accessibility of these animals, as well as the availability of a high-quality genome and established experimental techniques. The implementation of these techniques in other ctenophores should also not be far off and will be important for addressing comparative questions. The establishment of new experimental techniques in ctenophores combined with the influx of new ctenophorologists will lead to a greater understanding of both the unique and shared characteristics of these fascinating animals. We look forward to witnessing first hand the growth of ctenophore biology and comparing the scope and magnitude of this inaugural meeting to future Ctenopaloozas.

Last Modified: 05/02/2017
Modified by: Joseph F Ryan