Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 09/19/2011 - 13:26
Forums
Adaptations of Marine Worms in Antarctica

Mr.Leauge, I am a student from Mr.Messick's class.

I have a few questions for you.

How do the worms survive in such cold water?

Also how long do the worms get to live?

Thanks, Dayton

Tue, 09/20/2011 - 14:37

Michael League

Hi Dayton,What a cool name! So the answers to your questions depend a little bit
on what type of worm we're talking about. Let's stick to the worm that
Dr. Marsh and his team are studying, called *Capitella*.
*Capitella* are actually the same temperature as the water. The
proteins and enzymes in their bodies work at really cold temperatures.
Actually, if you put them in warmer water, they wouldn't do very well
and could even die. Dr. Marsh and his team believe that the answer to
the worms' success lies in how they use their genetic information (DNA).
As for how long they live, *Capitella* have relatively short life spans.
In warmer waters, like Delaware, *Capitella* worms only live for about
one or two months. Dr. Marsh says that *Capitella* worms adapted to
colder temperature water live longer, up to 8 months.
Mike