Scientists have just discovered something that most of us probably did not know: wild nematodes – also known as a roundworm – loves to climb on top of each other, to make fleshy, to write towers.
Researchers in Germany expanded their discovery in a new study Published Thursday in current biology. He found and videotap many nematodes, who were living in the wild, held in these living worm towers – an event that was previously seen only in the laboratory. Conclusions also suggest that subtle insects use these structures to climb on animals or objects that can bring them elsewhere, although there are many other questions about practice.
According to Senior Study writer Serena Ding, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, towers are hardly a mystery among the worm science community. But the behavior had reached a kind of mythological position, as no one had ever documented it in a wild nematode. This may mean that insects are forced to build towers only under laboratory conditions, which can limit the usefulness of any research on behavior.
“This is just something that bothers me. Ding, a laboratory leader centered on Nematode Research at Max Planck, told Gizmodo. “So when I started my research program four years ago, I really pushed a high density and high number to find nematodes to find nematodes, which was doing this stuff there. And then we were successful.”
Finally it took months for Ding’s colleagues, especially co-writer Ryan Greenway, to find and record the examples of natural worm tower building in fruits scattered in gardens near the University of Constance (one of the three places where the institute is based). Once the towers were found, the researchers brought some laboratory for further studies. He also encouraged and studied the construction of worm towers in the laboratory densityA species is often used for research.
“There is a significant discovery, ‘Yes, they exist.” But the second discovery is that we really confirm that the towers can work to disperse individuals at the same time, “Ding said.” This (is) is always considered as a dispersion behavior, but no one has really confirmed it. “
Researchers saw insects lying on animals in these towers, such as fruit flies passed them, for example, or to use them as a type of bridge to otherwise cross the unattainable interval. In addition, towers appeared collectively responding to stimuli as they were being touched. The fruits were the weight of nematodes, but the towers themselves were always made of only one species at a time. All this suggests that these living buildings should be seen as temporary “superaism”, which is similar to mold or some ants.
Although Ding and his team hoped and hoped to find insects in nature, they were surprised by other ways.
Researchers found no evidence of lab bugs in various roles inside the tower for one. The insects were equally mobile, and no one did no benefit to others in becoming the head of the tower (ie the part that is most benefited by this behavior). These insects are clonals, however, which means they are practically genetically similar to each other. And it is possible that things are not so fiery between the insects related to the wild.
“These are active directions that we are trying to follow right now, because not everyone is scattered. So who becomes a dispersed? Are they helping each other? Are they cheating?” Ding said.
There are other questions to be answered about these towers. Team laboratory experiments revealed that C. Elegance For example, including adulthood, they were able to build towers throughout their life. Previous research suggested that this behavior was performed only by Daur Verms – a larva phase of life adopts some insects to avoid rigid environment. At the same time, natural towers got them Were Only the daur is made from insects, so perhaps there is something else that makes the behavior more normal during that stage of life.
This research is only the beginning for Ding and his team, as they plan to pursue these mysteries. But Ding hopes that his team’s work can already provide a valuable lesson, especially to other worm researchers. She notes insects C. Elegance It is usually turned into a laboratory so that scientists can track how some behavior can work at the molecular level. But she argues that there is still a lot to learn from studying them in the real world.
He said, “What I am trying to do is to actually take famous organisms, but they want to study them from a more natural perspective. I want to understand how behavior arises, but also what the behavior means for the animal means from a more ecological and developedly relevant point of view,” he said. “At least for me, this is an important study where as a worm person, I can publish a study without using a single mutant and we are just looking at behavior, and what they say behavior. For me, it is super exciting.”
Personally, I am glad that now I have more terrible general knowledge to bring me to my next party.
