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Tube worm A sexual reproduction.

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Tube worm A sexual reproduction. Empty Tube worm A sexual reproduction.

Post  liquidg 31st December 2016, 2:02 am

In these two photos, they will show a group of three cloned tube worms, from the original.

The first pic is once the rock is turned over exposing three identical tube worms "that grew in a space too hard for predators to get to the worm", all originating from the one spot.
Quite often I have seen anywhere from 30 to 100 like this from one tube worm.
With virtually all salt water carrying a multitude of predators, this does not happen in the open!

The original tube worm was a result of sexual reproduction, one will decide because of water temperature, moon cycle or what ever to expel eggs then a male senses this and expels sperm to mix in the water and this started life here, then once large enough the original worm separates with in its tube from usually 4 segments which is around 15 millimetres of its original body, they are a segmented worm species anyway and each segment can potentially represent a new complete worm.

The new one breaks through the tube and it all starts again!
Tube worm A sexual reproduction. Pbucket

As you can see by this, all come from one spot.
Tube worm A sexual reproduction. Pbucket

more info on tube worms
https://southeastqueenslandm.aforumfree.com/t1070-tube-worms-xmas-tree-worms-polychaeta-found-near-brisbane-in-seq
liquidg
liquidg

Posts : 2778
Join date : 2010-02-02
Location : Brisbane bayside

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