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Nematode Structure and Function (view source)
Revision as of 19:59, 4 August 2010
, 19:59, 4 August 2010no edit summary
==Body Structure==
==Body Structure==
The nematode body is cylindrical, elongated and smooth with no limbs protruding, such as is seen in the common garden worm though generally on a smaller scale. The body is contained within a tough elastic '''cuticle''' which in many species forms elaborate structures useful for identification. The presence of a cuticle is similar to the structure of arthropods, however unlike them the nematode cuticle is not chitinous but is comprised mainly of collagens. The cuticle is non-living, produced by cells of the epidermis in most of the worm, allowing it to grown between moults of the worm without the need for shedding, although this does occur a number of times during the development of most worms. It is permeable to allow ions and water to pass through and therefore plays a key role in maintaining the hydrostatic pressure, which in most nematodes is relatively high inside the worm. The cuticle also acts as an anchoring point during locomotion as a skeleton does in mammalian species.
The nematode body is cylindrical, elongated and smooth with no limbs protruding, such as is seen in the common garden worm though generally on a smaller scale. The body is contained within a tough elastic '''cuticle''' which in many species forms elaborate structures useful for identification. The presence of a cuticle is similar to the structure of arthropods, however unlike them the nematode cuticle is not chitinous but is comprised mainly of collagens. The cuticle is non-living, produced by cells of the epidermis in most of the worm, allowing it to grown between moults of the worm without the need for shedding, although this does occur a number of times during the development of most worms. It is permeable to allow ions and water to pass through and therefore plays a key role in maintaining the hydrostatic pressure, which in most nematodes is relatively high inside the worm. The cuticle also acts as an anchoring point during locomotion as a skeleton does in mammalian species.
Morphological differences in the cuticle are regularly used to identify different species of nematodes, though the functions of these are not all completely understood.
*'''Annulations''' - Transverse lines in cuticle, possibly used as anchoring points in locomotion
*'''Longitudinal Ridges''' - also known as 'synlophe', seen in some [[Trichosrtongylidae]] species.
==Locomotion==
==Locomotion==