Sanctuary Asia — January 2018

The Whalebone Devourer

Saviour Worm?

More at http://www.sanctuaryasia.com | Natural History

The calls and barks of the Gunnison's prairie dogs are specifi c to the type of predator.

Different populations are also known to sport different dialects.

Did You Know?

What image forms in your head on reading the line above?

That of a carnivorous, teeth-baring, intimidating mega creature,

right? Well, you are in for a quite a surprise.

The protagonist of this whalebone-consuming tale is a tiny

marine worm of the genus Osedax whose literal Latin translation

decodes to ‘bone devouring’. When a mighty whale dies, its

decomposing fl esh and bones make their way to the ocean fl oor,

sinking to a depth of 2,000 – 4,000 m. This phenomenon is known

as a whale-fall. While the whale’s softer tissues are ingested by

organisms big and small, the lesser-known, specialised deep-sea

worms – Osedax rubiplumus and Osedax frankpressi – emerge

with their delicate, feathery and reddish tentacles called ‘palps’,

swaying in the waters. It is the roots of these worms, which

penetrate through the tough bone minerals to reach the delicious,

nourishing bone marrow. Assisted by a species of bacteria that

they host, Oceanospirillales, the worms break the marrow fats

and other bone material into smaller, simpler compounds. These

worms have evolved to seek nourishment in a niche so specifi c

and unlikely, and exemplify the diversity and connectivity

observed within an ecosystem.

Tonnes of plastic waste across the globe is one of the most

potent environmental problems facing humankind today. Laced

with chemicals that can be dangerous if ingested or absorbed

through the skin, plastic has a huge detrimental impact on the

health of humans and animals too.

What makes plastic even more dangerous is that compounds

such as polyethylene are so tough that they remain non-degraded

for hundreds and even thousands of years. Plastic has managed

to invade the most inaccessible and unexplored corners of the

planet, making its way into food webs and disrupting ecosystems.

However, what the ‘most intelligent’ species in the land is unable

to crack, the caterpillars of the wax moth can. The wax moth

larvae, it has been found, can eat and digest plastic! Researchers

have claimed that these tiny feeders can gorge on polyethylene

and even generate compounds that can prove industrially useful.

Essentially, these caterpillars can break down ‘indestructible’

polyethylene chemical structures. This ability is attributed to its

natural diet of bee’s wax, whose structure is largely similar to

polyethylene. Though certain fungi and bacteria are also known

to break down polyethylene, it takes them much longer. The aim

now is to somehow isolate the essential molecules and microbes,

which aid the caterpillars to break down polyethylene and possibly

produce it on a larger scale to rid ourselves of the accumulated

plastic. Our saviour is here?

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VINAY A. SALVI

VINAY A. SALVI

The bone devouring Osedax worms live in the

bones of the dead whale carcasses.

The wax moth caterpillars, can gorge on plastic

due their unique ability to break down tough

molecules such as polyethylene.