Researchers at the Max Planck institute for evolutionary biology in
Germany are now able to explain how organisms such as the roundworm adapt to their
different surrounding conditions. Depending on the environment in which the
roundworm grows, the larva develops into a short or narrow mouthed bacteria
eater or a wide- mouth predator. This is not dependent on its gene. They did
find a gene which functions like a switch and selects the variant of two
possible mouth forms.
The gene eud-1 is sulfatases
which are enzymes that chemically alter other proteins or molecules. With this discovery,
and genetically introducing additional
copies of the edu-1 gene almost all the transgenic worms developed the wide
mouth with characteristic tooth. The
change of their development has been created by the changing demands of their
environment which is called “phenotypic plasticity”. That is also explained by
the evolutionary adaptation.
This is a heated debate among evolutionary biologists. It will be interesting how this discovery
will change the face of Darwin’s natural selection. With the discovery of the switch gene it will
just cause more of a fire for the long battle between genes and environment.
This whole worm study seems quite gross but interesting at the same time. I had no idea the worm chooses its type of bacteria (short or wide). The fact that the larvae decides depending on the environment surroundings and changes is extremely unique and something I have never heard of before. This will definitely be debatable between genes and the environment. Interesting!
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