High Speed Camera Acquisition C. elegans reproducing

[moshe72]

This is not simply a video of reproducing worms. This is what happens to a worm if it doesn't eject its eggs from the vulva. We call it BOW, or "Bag Of Worms". You can see the outline of the parent in the video. The progeny are eating her from the inside. Fun, right?

[kevinoc63]

The worms in this video are not clustering together because of limiting food. They are trapped inside the body of their mother and are eating their way out. What is left of the cuticle can be seen as a fine line that surrounds the larvae. This happens when food is scarce. Mothers stop laying eggs. The eggs then hatch inside the mom and feed on her.

[boudiicea]

2) C. elegans aren't "social" but instead, very food-crazy. They're pigs. So if they eat up all the bacterial on the plate and there is just a tiny bit left in one spot all of the worms will swim over trying to get it. So that is when you see worm piles.

[boudiicea]

1) this is a mutant, not the typical way they reproduce. Typically they lay eggs and the eggs hatch. The eggs are not all clustered together. This in fact is known commonly as a "bag of worms" there is a defect with the vulva of the animal that prevents them from laying the eggs. So the eggs hatch inside the animal and then the progeny eat the mother from the inside out ala aliens. If you look closely you can see the outline of the old worm that is dead around the offspring.

[JesusFollower93]

wow thats very interesting...im using c elegans for my science fair and i noticed similar results...does that mean all the little groupings of the nematodes mean they're reproducing? because sometiems i see a huge group of them just crawling all over each other...

[MandiMandolina]

Some C. elegans strains are apparently just social- the Hawaiian strain that I have seen (CB 4856) will have hermaphrodites all piled on each other, so I don't think it just means they are mating.

[fun428]

lol now that is cool lol

[torpedo192]

thank god im a human

[majes02]

hello, I am making a danish tv-programme about fluorescens. Is it possible that I could use this movie in it?

Best regards Mai Murmann

[FatzoMcUgly]

gross