Collecting-Gathering Biophysics of the Blackworm Lumbriculus variegatus.

ABSTRACT: Many organisms exhibit collecting and gathering behaviors as a foraging and survival method. Benthic macroinvertebrates are classified as collector-gatherers due to their collection of particulate matter. Among these, the aquatic oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus (California blackworms) demonstrates the ability to ingest both organic and inorganic materials, including microplastics. However, earlier studies have only qualitatively described their collecting behaviors for such materials. The mechanism by which blackworms consolidate discrete particles into a larger clump remains unexplored quantitatively. In this study, we analyze a group of blackworms in a large arena with an aqueous algae solution (organic particles) and find that their relative collecting efficiency is proportional to p

SUBMITTER: Tuazon H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10755170 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature