Cloaked bivalve oocytes: lessons in evolution, ecology, and scientific awareness

We have recently observed a gelatinous coat surrounding the oocytes of Cerastoderma edule within which the development of early larval stages takes place (Fig. 1). Although variously-coated oocytes are common in the wider marine world, and among other molluscs, most bivalve researchers have never encountered such a thing. And when they do, many simply ignore it, while others mis-label it as a 'perivitteline space' (Gustafson and Reid 1986, Kandeel et al. 2013). Of course, the immediate question is: 'why should we care?'. We should care first because of the ecological and evolutionary lessons and perspectives this feature holds. And we should care because it tells us something very important about how the process of science funding can shape our view of the natural world. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.