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Unusual intestinal lamellae in the nematode Rhabditophanes sp. KR3021 (Nematoda: Alloinematidae)
Author(s) -
Willems Maxime,
Houthoofd Wouter,
Claeys Myriam,
Couvreur Marjolein,
Van Driessche Rita,
Adriaens Dominique,
Jacobsen Kim,
Borgonie Gaëtan
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/jmor.10332
Subject(s) - biology , nematode , vesicle , digestive tract , gastrointestinal tract , zoology , anatomy , ecology , biochemistry , medicine , membrane
The free‐living nematode Rhabditophanes sp. has recently been placed in a clade of animal parasites and may be a unique example of a reversal to a nonparasitic lifestyle. Detailed morphological analysis of the intestine reveals the unusual and unique structure of splitting microlamellae forming a meshwork with cavities along the entire intestinal tract. Secretion vesicles were observed along the whole tract and along the length of the lamellae. It is suggested that these lamellae are adaptations to a different digestive strategy where low food availability and a low absorption surface are compensated for by maximizing the nutrient uptake efficiency along the entire length of the intestine. The likely reversal to a free‐living life cycle may have caused drastic changes in diet, providing the necessary driving forces to such morphological changes. J. Morphol. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.