Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 12:14
Forums
Adaptations of Marine Worms in Antarctica

Hello Michael, Hope you are staying warm with all that wonderful gear. We have polychaete worms where I live in Virginia, near the Chesapeake Bay. How would the ones you are studying differ from the ones we might see?

Susan Summers Virginia Living Museum

Tue, 08/23/2011 - 12:54

Michael League

Susan, You are so smart! That's exactly the question our research team is
trying to answer. Polychaetes can look different in terms of size,
shape, and color, but these are usually different species (kinds).
There are polychaetes found in relatively warm water like where you
like in Virginia and where I live in Delaware. There are related
species (or kinds) down here in Antarctica, living in relatively cold
water. Some polychaetes from where you live are very similar in
appearance to the worms down here in Antarctica. How can that be?
There must be some differences between the two worms, even if we
can't see them with our eyes. Dr. Adam Marsh and his research team
believe that the answer to part of your questions lies in the genetics
(DNA) of the worms. Some of their earlier research leads them to
believe that there are genes that are more important to Antarctic
polychaetes than your Virgina polychaetes. Only by looking for
differences between the two very similar worms can we discover the answer.
We'll be doing a lot of journals about the worms we collect and
study. Just another week now and we should have some worms to talk
about. We can't wait!
Mike