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Adult tubeworm
Hydroides elegansis a tropical / sub - tropical tubeworm notorious for produce on the tush of ship and increasing fuel consumption of ships by increase drag . The animals are amongst many marine creatures that rely on bacterium to go through metamorphosis . Now , novel enquiry has let out syringelike social system produced by bacteria that bring on this metamorphosis .
Tubeworm adult, out of tube
An adultH. elegansout of its tube . As adults , the tubeworms prey on alga using fanlike structures that protrude from their head .
Tubeworm tubes
The tubeworms grow in thick colony than can interfere with ship piping and ballast .
Tubeworm larva
Tubeworm larvae swim around and develop for about 5 days before looking for a bacterial mat to go down on .
Bacterial colonies
research worker have found that a bacterium calledPseudoalteromonas luteoviolaceamust be present forH. elegansto metamorphose .
Metamorphosis-associated contractile structures
he researchers have now key out that the bacteria produces syringelike structures interchangeable to virus tails that seem to be the key to the bacterium ’s function in the tubeworm metamorphosis . This is a computer - yield image of these so - promise MACs .
Juvenile tubeworm
With the help of the bacterial mack , the tubeworms metamorphose into juvenile , and settle to a open where they stay stationary for the duration of their lives .
