The Tower of Worms: A Fascinating Look at a Squirming Superorganism
By Jacek Krywko, edited by Allison Parshall
When food becomes scarce, a peculiar behavior emerges among a group of tiny roundworms that transforms them into a living, wriggling tower—a superorganism that moves as one cohesive unit. Recently, scientists captured the first-ever videos of these wild roundworms engaging in this fascinating behavior in their natural habitat.
The discovery took place in an orchard near the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz, Germany, where researchers observed the roundworms forming intricate towers on rotting apples and pears. Lead author of the study, biologist Daniela Perez, explains that while the behavior was not difficult to find, it had previously gone unnoticed due to a lack of interest, time, and funding for such research.
To gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, Perez and her team replicated the behavior in a laboratory setting. By placing groups of Caenorhabditis elegans in a dish without food, alongside a toothbrush bristle acting as a scaffold, they were able to observe the rapid formation of a tower structure. This living tower exhibited coordinated movements, responding to stimuli such as touch and environmental cues.
The study, published in Current Biology, sheds light on a previously unrecognized survival strategy exhibited by these microscopic organisms. William Schafer, a geneticist at the University of Cambridge, emphasizes the significance of discovering this behavior in the wild, affirming its integral role in the worms’ natural habitat.
But why do these worms engage in such behavior? The researchers speculate that towering may serve as a means for the worms to seek out richer food sources. In times of limited resources, cooperation within the tower structure could facilitate dispersal and exploration of new environments.
One of the key mysteries surrounding these living towers lies in how the worms communicate within the structure. From coordinating movements to responding to external stimuli, the intricate dynamics within the tower raise questions about the underlying mechanisms at play. Future research aims to unravel the communication pathways, exploring potential chemical and mechanical signals that enable coordination within the superorganism.
As the scientific community delves deeper into the world of these living towers, the possibilities for further exploration and discovery are endless. With each meeting sparking new project ideas, Perez and her team are poised to uncover the secrets of this mesmerizing behavior and its implications for our understanding of collective behavior in nature.
