Collecting–Gathering Biophysics of the Blackworm Lumbriculus variegatus
Collecting–Gathering Biophysics of the Blackworm Lumbriculus variegatus
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收集 — 收集黑虫 Lumbriculus variegatus 的生物物理学
DOI：
10.1093/icb/icad080
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发表时间：
2023
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
Bhamla, M. Saad
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Tuazon, Harry;Nguyen, Chantal;Kaufman, Emily;Tiwari, Ishant;Bermudez, Jessica;Chudasama, Darshan;Peleg, Orit;Bhamla, M. Saad
许多生物表现出采集行为作为一种觅食和生存方式。底栖大型无脊椎动物因其收集颗粒物质而被归类为收集者-采集者。其中，水生寡毛类蚯蚓（加州黑蠕虫）表现出摄取有机和无机材料的能力，包括微塑料。然而，早期的研究只是定性地描述了他们对这些材料的收集行为。黑蠕虫将离散的颗粒固结成更大的团块的机制尚未定量研究。在这项研究中，我们分析了一组黑蠕虫在一个大的竞技场的水溶液藻类（有机颗粒），并发现它们的相对收集效率是成正比的人口规模。我们发现，人口规模增加一倍（N= 25-N= 50）导致达到巩固的时间减少一半以上。对个体黑蠕虫的显微镜检查显示，藻类和微塑料都物理地粘附在蠕虫的身体上，并由于蠕虫的外部粘液分泌而形成团块。我们的观察还表明，这种聚集行为减少了蠕虫的探索其环境，可能是由于趋触性。为了验证这些观察到的生物物理机制，我们创建了一个活跃的聚合物模型的蠕虫移动在一个领域的颗粒碎片。我们通过在蠕虫和最近的周围粒子之间实施短程吸引来模拟其粘附性质。我们的研究结果表明，当我们在颗粒之间增加吸引力时，收集效率增加，模拟蠕虫的粘膜分泌物。我们的工作提供了一个详细的了解的复杂机制的收集收集行为在L。variegatus，为生物启发的合成收集器系统的设计提供信息，并促进我们对微塑料对底栖无脊椎动物的生态影响的理解。
Many organisms exhibit collecting and gathering behaviors as a foraging and survival method. Benthic macroinvertebrates are classified as collector–gatherers due to their collection of particulate matter. Among these, the aquatic oligochaeteLumbriculus variegatus(California blackworms) demonstrates the ability to ingest both organic and inorganic materials, including microplastics. However, earlier studies have only qualitatively described their collecting behaviors for such materials. The mechanism by which blackworms consolidate discrete particles into a larger clump remains unexplored quantitatively. In this study, we analyze a group of blackworms in a large arena with an aqueous algae solution (organic particles) and find that their relative collecting efficiency is proportional to population size. We found that doubling the population size (N= 25–N= 50) results in a decrease in time to reach consolidation by more than half. Microscopic examination of individual blackworms reveals that both algae and microplastics physically adhere to the worm’s body and form clumps due to external mucus secretions by the worms. Our observations also indicate that this clumping behavior reduces the worm’s exploration of its environment, possibly due to thigmotaxis. To validate these observed biophysical mechanisms, we create an active polymer model of a worm moving in a field of particulate debris. We simulate its adhesive nature by implementing a short-range attraction between the worm and the nearest surrounding particles. Our findings indicate an increase in gathering efficiency when we add an attractive force between particles, simulating the worm’s mucosal secretions. Our work provides a detailed understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying the collecting–gathering behavior inL. variegatus, informing the design of bioinspired synthetic collector systems, and advances our understanding of the ecological impacts of microplastics on benthic invertebrates.