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One of Nature's True Wonders...
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HenryDavidT
Aug 6, 2015, 12:55:18 AM8/6/15
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The earth worm... and the role it, and other crucian "recyclers" like it, plays in making sure the various ecosystems stay "alive" and healthy...
http://news.discovery.com/animals/earthworms-secret-to-eating-dead-leaves-found-150804.htm
Now researchers at Imperial College London have figured out how the worms manage to digest dead plants despite toxic chemicals that deter most other herbivores. Plants make polyphenols, which act as antioxidants and give the plants their color. They also usually block digestion.
The scientists identified molecules in the earthworm's gut that counteract the plant's natural defenses. The molecules, named drilodefensins, allow an earthworm to eat up to one-third its body weight in a single day. The more polyphenols detected in an earthworm's diet, the more drilodefensins it produces in its gut, the researchers found.
http://news.discovery.com/animals/earthworms-secret-to-eating-dead-leaves-found-150804.htm
Now researchers at Imperial College London have figured out how the worms manage to digest dead plants despite toxic chemicals that deter most other herbivores. Plants make polyphenols, which act as antioxidants and give the plants their color. They also usually block digestion.
The scientists identified molecules in the earthworm's gut that counteract the plant's natural defenses. The molecules, named drilodefensins, allow an earthworm to eat up to one-third its body weight in a single day. The more polyphenols detected in an earthworm's diet, the more drilodefensins it produces in its gut, the researchers found.
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