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==|'''WEEK FOUR'''|== | ==|'''WEEK FOUR'''|== | ||
''23/11/2020'' | |||
==='''Research: Nematodes - tiny parasites'''=== | |||
''In short, if all the matter in the universe except the nematodes were swept away, our world would still be dimly recognizable, and if, as disembodied spirits, we could then investigate it, we should find its mountains, hills, vales, rivers, lakes, and oceans represented by a film of nematodes.'' - by Nathan Cobb - nematologist. | |||
'''4 out of every 5 animals that live our planet are nematodes.''' | |||
Nematodes are multicellular insects, tiny roundworms who inhabit a broad range of environments; they are parasitic and free-living organisms that feed on living material (e.g. plants, insects or other nematodes). Nematodes have successfully adapted to nearly every ecosystem (soil, freshwaters, tropics, polar regions, ...), in fact they can regulate bacterial population and community composition (they may eat up to 5,000 bacteria per minute!). They can be also hermaphrodites, capable of self fertilization. | |||
Important role played in the decomposition process. Sensitive to pollution. | |||
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6g3OjkhClE&t=1s&ab_channel=JourneytotheMicrocosmos The Fungus That Traps and Kills Nematodes] | |||
From a pond water sample, it has been found a nematode whose body had been trapped by a fungus. The fungus first punctured and expanded, paralyzing the nematode. Then he fed himself quickly, digesting the nematode's body from within. | |||
''25/11/2020'' | ''25/11/2020'' | ||