Natures wonders: Nematode has five body forms (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 00:52 (3230 days ago) @ David Turell

And it all comes from the same DNA:-https://www.newscientist.com/article/2073487-shape-shifting-worm-creates-five-different-versions-of-itself/-" Genetic studies have shown single species of nematode worm, newly discovered inside figs, can develop into five distinct forms. It is a striking example of physical divergence without genetic divergence.-***-"Young Pristionchus nematodes hitch a ride to new figs on the wasps that fertilise the figs. If you look inside the fig soon after the wasps arrive, only a small form of the nematode can be found. It has a simple tube-like mouth for feeding on microbes.-"But the offspring of these colonists can develop into five distinct forms: two that feed on microbes and three larger ones with bigger mouths equipped with rows of teeth, for catching other species of nematodes. “They have different ecological roles,” Ragsdale says.-***-"So far the team has identified three related species of Pristionchus nematodes - collected in South Africa, Réunion Island and Vietnam - that each have five phenotypes. There may be species with even higher numbers, says team member Ralf Sommer of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Germany."-Comment: There must be modifiers of gene expression at work.