Giant Clams Use Iridescence to Create Living Greenhouses to Grow Algae

A new study published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, demonstrate how giant clams use iridescence to create living greenhouses to grow algae (their food source).

It has been known for a while that within Giant clams and various other aquatic animals, there is a layer of cells known as iridocytes that can scatter light to allow photosynthesis to occur deep in the tissue. However, the main purpose for these structures was not known.

Alison Sweeney, the lead researcher said "Many mollusks, like squid, octopuses, snails and cuttlefish have iridescent structures, but almost all use them for camouflage or for signalling to mates. We knew giant clams weren't doing either of those things, so we wanted to know what they were using them for."

The Giant Clams are found in tropical reefs that are exposed to intense sunlight. The algae that grows on the flesh of the clams use the sunlight as a source of nutrition but ironically the sunlight is so intense that it disrupts photosynthesis reducing the algae’s energy generation.

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