An international team of researchers led by the Universities of Göttingen and Madrid found a marine worm that has one head and spreads extensively in the canals of its host, which are sea sponges.
The branching syllid worm (Ramisyllis multicaudata) lives inside the sea sponges and only one of two species with a branching body.
According to Science Daily's report, the team discovered the complex body structure of the branching worm and detailed its anatomy. This includes its nervous system and unusual reproductive units, called stolons, located in their posterior ends and that form their own brain when detached for fertilization to help them navigate their environment.
Their study, entitled "Integrative anatomical study of the branched annelid Ramisyllis multicaudata," is published in the Journal of Morphology.
Branching Worms Living in Sea Sponges
Branching worms were officially discovered in 2006 by Chris Glasby. Together with other researchers, they were able to describe the full anatomy of the R. multicaudata.
Guillermo Ponz-Segrelles, one of the study authors, told SYFY WIRE that the branching worm's body is related to its symbiotic relationship with the sponge.
"Right now, our hypothesis is that the sponges are not so much related to the appearance of this body shape in the first place, but with the fact that the animals can survive despite their strange anatomy," he said.
Glasby said that upon examining the samples of the species found in the 19th century and kept in the Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Australia, he found that an enormous branched worm resides inside a sponge. He noted that it took him days to find the head through careful dissection of the sea sponge.
But the first dissection of the sponge ended up the worm's body being broken, cutting many of its arms and only finding the head at the base of the sea sponge. So, they developed a technique to dissect the worm which luckily they were able to dissect the whole branching worm.
Examining the Anatomy of the Branching Worm
The team used advanced microscopy and scanning techniques where no scientists had done before. Based on the X-ray-based micro-CT scans, they found how the branching worm positioned itself inside the sea sponge. The scans revealed thousands of virtual slices of the sponge which points out where the head of the worm is located.
It enabled the team to create 3D images of the worms' different internal organs as well as the interior of the sponges where the branching worm lives, Science Daily reported.
The team said that when the branching worm divide, so do their internal organs. This phenomenon in a species is the first that scientists found.
Moreover, the 3D models helped the team to look for novel anatomical structure that is only seen in R. multicaudata. The worm has muscular bridges that cross different organs when their body has to make another new branch.
Researchers confirmed that the bifurcation process of the branching worm happens during its adulthood and not when its early stages of development. They also propose that the main bridge has a unique fingerprint that distinguishes it from the other branches.
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