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Deep-sea biologist Holly Vick says there are estimated to be millions of different species of nematodes, but biologists have so far described less than 5,000 species of marine life.
In our quest to discover new species around the world, Viku Her team has collected samples in a variety of destinations, including East Antarctica and the northern slopes of Alaska, Tybee Island, Georgia, and La Jolla, California.
Because worms are typically less than a millimeter long, Bik and her team use powerful microscopes to study them. This particular species, known as ceramonema, is commonly found in deep-sea underwater mountains.
What sets these nematodes apart are the intricate, wave-like patterned plates that cover the entire body.
“There are so few scientists working on these species, and so much sand out there,” Bick said. We have hundreds of new breeds.”
This nematode – Xyala – is one of the most abundant species on sandy beaches worldwide.
Its defining features include rows of raised ridges that surround its body, small circular sensory pores, and sensory “hairs” around its head.
Deep-sea habitats cover most of the Earth’s surface, but our current understanding of deep-sea nematode species is based on sampling from areas less than half the size of a tennis court, Bick said.
The presence of Odontophora nematodes is a sign of a clean, uncontaminated habitat, often inhabiting sandy beaches.
Scientists believe these worms use the spiraling, gel-filled pores on their bodies to sense bacterial metabolites in the environment and locate prey.
Such nematodes are found in the mud and sand of oceans worldwide, and are especially common in hypoxic submarine habitats.
This species is characterized by short bristles, or sensory hair-like organs, which cover most of its body.
In some cases, Bik’s team uses DNA sequencing to identify the nematode species.
The Enoploides nematode is a ferocious predator thanks to its three retractable Y-shaped jaws. Each jaw has large teeth.
They like to eat algae called diatoms and small nematodes. The red cells in the photo are actually food particles that pass through the digestive tract.
Epsilonema nematodes boast a uniquely shaped body that resembles the number 3 or the letter E, and the ring that surrounds the body secretes a sticky mucus.
The rings around the worm’s body allow it to “walk” over grains of sand, Vik said, giving it a creeping, caterpillar-like motion.
It’s easy to see why the Eubostricus worm earned the nickname “Chewbacca.” Each of these hair-like structures is actually an individual bacterial cell attached to the nematode.
These are known as: symbiotic bacteria Because it has a mutually beneficial relationship with the worm.
What surprised Viku and her colleagues most was that these microscopic nematodes are remarkably similar to the macroscopic worms found in soil and elsewhere on Earth. Like this gamma nematode, it tends to live on sandy bottoms.
They may resemble harmless earthworms, but these long, muscular microbes are actually voracious predators thanks to their V-shaped mouths lined with numerous tooth-like protrusions. .
Metoncholaimus nematodes are characterized by a wide oval mouth containing one large tooth and two smaller teeth of the same size.
Bik said the predatory worms have recently been used in laboratories to test the toxicity of certain pesticides.
This paleeurustomyna has one fine tooth and rows of small serrated, tooth-like scales known as “teeth” that it uses to munch on marine microorganisms such as diatoms and dinoflagellates. There is a large mouth lined with
Called paleuristomyna, this predatory nematode is characterized by a thin, pointed tail.
Resourceful Theristus nematodes often emerge in the water through grains of sand and can actively swim toward new areas of sand where more food is available.
Some species can also feed as parasites by attaching to the outside of larger polychaete worms, aka bristly worms.
Tricoma secretes a sticky mucus that sticks the sand to its body. This is both a camouflage defense mechanism against predators and a weight that prevents strong currents from washing them away.
This type of nematode is characterized by a triangular head and a circular “ring” that runs along the entire body.
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