Editing Portuguese man o' war (section)

==Description==
[[File:Anatomy of a Physalia physalis colony.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Anatomy, with descriptions of the function of each type of zooid<ref name=Munro2019/>]]
Like all siphonophores, ''P. physalis'' is a colonial organism: each animal is composed of many smaller units ([[zooid]]s) that hang in clusters from under a large, gas-filled structure called the pneumatophore.<ref name=ADW>{{cite web|title=''Physalia physalis'', Portuguese man-of-war|url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Physalia_physalis/|website=Animal Diversity Web|publisher=Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan|access-date=27 February 2024}}</ref>

Seven different types of zooids have been described in the man o' war, and all of these are interdependent on each other for survival and performing different functions, such as digestion ([[wikt:gastrozooid|gastrozooid]]s), reproduction ([[gonozooid]]s) and hunting (dactylozooids). A fourth type of zooid is the pneumatophore. Three of these types of zooids are of the [[jellyfish|medusoid]] type ([[gonophore]]s, [[wikt:nectophore|nectophore]]s, and vestigial nectophores), while the remaining four are of the [[polyp (zoology)|polypoid]] type (free gastrozooids, tentacle-bearing zooids, gonozooids and gonopalpons).<ref name=Bardi2007/> However, naming and categorization of zooids varies between authors, and much of the embryonic and evolutionary relationships of zooids remains unclear.<ref name=Munro2019/>

The pneumatophore or bladder is the most conspicuous part of the man o' war. This large, gas-filled, translucent structure is pink, purple or blue in color; it is {{convert|9|to|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and rises as much as {{convert|15|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} above the water. The pneumatophore functions as both a flotation device and a sail, allowing the animal to move with the prevailing wind.<ref name=Munro2019 /><ref name=ADW /> The gas in the pneumatophore is mostly air which diffuses in from the surrounding atmosphere, but it also contains as much as 13% [[carbon monoxide]], which is actively produced by the animal.<ref name=Wittenberg1960>{{Cite journal|last=Wittenberg|first=Jonathan B.|title=The Source of Carbon Monoxide in the Float of the Portuguese Man-of-War, ''Physalia physalis'' L|journal=Journal of Experimental Biology|volume=37|issue=4|pages=698–705|year=1960|doi=10.1242/jeb.37.4.698|url=http://jeb.biologists.org/content/jexbio/37/4/698.full.pdf}}</ref><ref name=Clark1961>{{cite journal|last1=Clark|first1=F.E.|last2=Lane|first2=C.E.|title=Composition of float gases of Physalia physalis|journal=Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine|volume=107|issue=3|pages=673–674|year=1961|doi=10.3181/00379727-107-26724|pmid=13693830|s2cid=2687386}}</ref> In the event of a surface attack, the pneumatophore can be deflated, allowing the animal to temporarily submerge.<ref name="ng">{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/portuguese-man-of-war |title=Portuguese Man-of-War |work=National Geographic Animals |date=11 November 2010 |publisher=[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]] |access-date=2021-03-08 |archive-date=2021-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306190914/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/portuguese-man-of-war |url-status=dead }}</ref>

New zooids are added by [[budding]] as the colony grows. Long tentacles hang below the float as the animal drifts, fishing for prey to sting and drag up to its digestive zooids.<ref name=Totton1960>Totton, A. and Mackie, G. (1960) "Studies on Physalia physalis", ''Discovery Reports'', '''30''': 301–407.</ref><ref name=Lee2021/>

The colony hunts and feeds through the cooperation of two types of zooids: tentacle-bearing zooids known as dactylozooids (or palpons), and gastrozooids.<ref name=Munro2019/> The palpons are equipped with tentacles, which are typically about {{convert|10|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} in length but can reach over {{convert|30|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Portuguese Man-of-War" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/portuguese-man-o-war.html |title=What is a Portuguese Man o' War? |author=NOAA |work=[[National Ocean Service]] |quote=Updated 10 October 2017 |date=27 July 2015 |access-date=2016-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222171442/http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/portuguese-man-o-war.html |archive-date=22 February 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Each tentacle bears tiny, coiled, thread-like structures called [[Cnidocyte|nematocysts]]. Nematocysts trigger and inject venom on contact, stinging, paralyzing, and killing [[Mollusca|molluscs]] and fishes. Large groups of Portuguese man o' war, sometimes over 1,000 individuals, may deplete fisheries.<ref name=Bardi2007/><ref name=ng /> Contraction of tentacles drags the prey upward and into range of the gastrozooids. The gastrozooids surround and digest the food by secreting [[digestive enzyme]]s. ''P. physalis'' typically has multiple stinging tentacles, but a regional form (previously known as a separate species, ''P. utriculus'') has only a single stinging tentacle.

The main reproductive zooids, the gonophores, are situated on branching structures called gonodendra. Gonophores produce sperm or eggs. Besides gonophores, each gonodendron also contains several other types of specialized zooids: gonozooids (which are accessory gastrozooids), nectophores (which have been speculated to allow detached gonodendra to swim), and vestigial nectophores (also called jelly polyps; the function of these is unclear).<ref name=Munro2019/>