Located in the East Sierra Mountains, Lake Mono is home to brine shrimp, diving flies, bacteria and algae, but there are no other species-or scientists think so. Paul Sternberg, a biologist at the California Institute of Technology, and his colleagues believe that tiny worms called nematodes may lurk in Lake Mono, in part because this reptile is considered to be the most abundant animal on earth, the researchers said in a statement.
According to the research published in the journal Current Biology on Thursday (September 26th), on the way to Lake, the research team discovered a micro-worm, which can withstand 500 times higher arsenic exposure than humans.
"Mono Lake is famous for its limited animal ecosystem. . . So they successfully proved that there are many kinds of nematodes living there, as well as shrimp and flies, which is really cool. Lucy Stewart, a microbiologist at GNS Science in New Zealand, told Scientist:
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In the summer of 20 16 and 20 17, researchers visited Mono Lake and collected soil samples. Dry patches around water bodies, tidal zones and lakes. (Li Zhongqing, co-author of the study and now a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University, told Scientist that limited exposure to saline-alkali water is safe for human beings. The research team found eight species of nematodes with different mouths. Each bug's unique mouth allows it to eat its favorite food. Some nematodes feed on microorganisms, just as cows feed on grass, while others feed on animals. Other worms are parasites, absorbing nutrients from their chosen hosts.
According to the announcement of the university, the research team cultivated a worm species from the evolutionary group Auanema in the laboratory and found that these worms have three different sexes and carry developing offspring in their bodies. By observing the genetic code of worms, we found a gene mutation named dbt- 1, which helps to decompose amino acids that make up protein. The author thinks that this gene mutation may be part of the reason for this animal's amazing arsenic tolerance. Other AuaMa species, such as "kdspe" and "kdsps", also carry mutations and show some arsenic resistance, although eight species of single lake worms seem to be most suitable for their particularly toxic environment. The scientist said in the statement:
"Our research shows that we still have a lot to learn about how these 1000 animals with only cells can master their viability in extreme environments." . The author adds that a better understanding of these strange worms can help scientists find out how to better protect people from arsenic-contaminated drinking water, and usually deepen our understanding of the persistence of life in extreme environments.
Strange beauty: the photo reveals the tuff tower in the incredible place of Mono Lake 15. The ten strangest places where life is found on earth were first published in Life Science.
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