Autotomy and regeneration, Biology

Assignment Help:

Autotomy and Regeneration

Shedding of body parts in self-defense to avert the attention of the predator-enemy or in any other emergency is a type of autotomy (auto: self, tomy: cutting). The most familiar example of autotomy is a breaking off of the tail in the common house lizard between the chordates, but the phenomenon is far much more common among the non-chordates. You have already seen that this takes place is many echinoderms. The star fishes and brittle stars can cast off their arms that can regenerate into whole animals. An extremely interesting case of autotomy followed by regeneration is found in a polychaete annelid worm termed as Chaetopterus. It lives permanently inside a U-shaped parchment tube in the muddy bottom in shallow sea water. If the anterior end of this worm is pulled by a predator a constriction between 12th and 13th segments breaks the body into two pieces. The worm loses its head region to enemy whereas the remaining hind portion is left behind in the U- tube. This hind portion contains the gonads and regenerates the front part needed for normal feeding activity. Chaetopterus has been found to have a remarkable power of regenerating a complete worm from a single isolated body segment that is segment 14.


Related Discussions:- Autotomy and regeneration

Describe airway and respiratory support in heart disease, Describe Airway a...

Describe Airway and Respiratory Support in the Newborn ? Like in any other emergency situation a stable airway needs to be established first. Newborns with severe respiratory d

Explain about vitamin D, Vitamin D (Calciferol - vitamin D2) The main f...

Vitamin D (Calciferol - vitamin D2) The main forms are Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol-plant origin) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol-animal origin). Vitamin D2 forms colourless, aci

Can you explain listeriosis, Q. Can you explain Listeriosis? Listeriosi...

Q. Can you explain Listeriosis? Listeriosis is a food borne illness caused by a pathogenic bacterium called Listeria monocytogenes, which is food borne. Listeria monocytogenes

How do taenias obtain food and make gas exchange, How do taenias obtain foo...

How do taenias obtain food and make gas exchange? Tapeworms have hooks and sucking structures on their heads (scolex) that fixate the parasite in the gut wall; these structures

Microbodies, MICROBODIES Single unit membrane bound small spherical str...

MICROBODIES Single unit membrane bound small spherical structures. Microbodies are structurally related to lysosome. On the basis of functions microbodies are of four typ

What are the biotechnological applications of enzymes, Biotechnological app...

Biotechnological applications of enzymes Although enzymes have been used in certain industrial processes for centuries, their precise role or even their identity was not known

Annelida, what are the characteristics of polychaeta

what are the characteristics of polychaeta

How to investigate mitral regurgitation by echo, Q. How to investigate mitr...

Q. How to investigate mitral regurgitation by Echo? 2 D echocardiography will help determine the morphology and etiology of mitral regurgitation. Rheumatic mitral regurgitation

Human population-historical overview, Human Population-Historical Overview ...

Human Population-Historical Overview Throughout history, the human population has been quite small. It has grown relatively slowly and even experienced occasional declines. Fi

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd