I wanted to repost this water bear (an Hypsibius sp.) eating algae because she’s an absolute CUTIE 😭
Even if Tardigrades are invertebrates, they possess organ systems that more evolved animals, like us, possess as well. They have a nervous system with a brain, a muscular system, a reproductive system and a complete digestive system with a mouth, stomach, intestines, rectum and anus.
Water bear’s buccal apparatus consists of a telescopic piglet mouth, a buccal tube and stylets that are V-shaped, which they use to pierce animal or plant material and proceed to suck the fluid that is being released, after what they chew the cells content with their muscular pharynx. Having a Tardigrade buccal apparatus is a bit like having a pointy straw as a mouth!
It has also been shown that these little moss-piglets have specific and diverse microbiomes. Depending on the species, the microbiome can be composed of different fungi, protozoans and bacteria. Just as us, Tardigrades live in close and long-term relationships with various microscopic symbionts! Their microbiome is principally dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes which are bacteria that are also found in great numbers within human guts.
References:
Cho, I., & Blaser, M. J. (2012). The human microbiome: at the interface of health and disease. Nature Reviews Genetics, 13(4), 260-270.
Guidetti, R., Vecchi, M., Ferrari, A., Newton, I. L., Cesari, M., & Rebecchi, L. (2020). Further insights in the Tardigrada microbiome: phylogenetic position and prevalence of infection of four new Alphaproteobacteria putative endosymbionts. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 188(3), 925-937.
Nelson, D. R., Guidetti, R., & Rebecchi, L. (2015). Phylum Tardigrada. Thorp and Covich’s Freshwater Invertebrates, 347–380.
Schill, R. O. (Ed.). (2018). Water Bears: The Biology of Tardigrades. Zoological Monographs.
Vecchi, M., Newton, I. L., Cesari, M., Rebecchi, L., & Guidetti, R. (2018). The microbial community of tardigrades: environmental influence and species specificity of microbiome structure and composition. Microbial ecology, 76(2), 467-481
Even if Tardigrades are invertebrates, they possess organ systems that more evolved animals, like us, possess as well. They have a nervous system with a brain, a muscular system, a reproductive system and a complete digestive system with a mouth, stomach, intestines, rectum and anus.
Water bear’s buccal apparatus consists of a telescopic piglet mouth, a buccal tube and stylets that are V-shaped, which they use to pierce animal or plant material and proceed to suck the fluid that is being released, after what they chew the cells content with their muscular pharynx. Having a Tardigrade buccal apparatus is a bit like having a pointy straw as a mouth!
It has also been shown that these little moss-piglets have specific and diverse microbiomes. Depending on the species, the microbiome can be composed of different fungi, protozoans and bacteria. Just as us, Tardigrades live in close and long-term relationships with various microscopic symbionts! Their microbiome is principally dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes which are bacteria that are also found in great numbers within human guts.
References:
Cho, I., & Blaser, M. J. (2012). The human microbiome: at the interface of health and disease. Nature Reviews Genetics, 13(4), 260-270.
Guidetti, R., Vecchi, M., Ferrari, A., Newton, I. L., Cesari, M., & Rebecchi, L. (2020). Further insights in the Tardigrada microbiome: phylogenetic position and prevalence of infection of four new Alphaproteobacteria putative endosymbionts. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 188(3), 925-937.
Nelson, D. R., Guidetti, R., & Rebecchi, L. (2015). Phylum Tardigrada. Thorp and Covich’s Freshwater Invertebrates, 347–380.
Schill, R. O. (Ed.). (2018). Water Bears: The Biology of Tardigrades. Zoological Monographs.
Vecchi, M., Newton, I. L., Cesari, M., Rebecchi, L., & Guidetti, R. (2018). The microbial community of tardigrades: environmental influence and species specificity of microbiome structure and composition. Microbial ecology, 76(2), 467-481
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