Adult marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii chemically stunt the growth of juveniles.

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Autori principali: Moris, Victoria C, Schirrmacher, Paula, Potter, Sophie, Tickle, Martha, Squire, Ryan, Hardege, Jörg D
Natura: Artículo científico
Lingua:en
Pubblicazione: The Journal of experimental biology 2026
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author Moris, Victoria C
Schirrmacher, Paula
Potter, Sophie
Tickle, Martha
Squire, Ryan
Hardege, Jörg D
author_facet Moris, Victoria C
Schirrmacher, Paula
Potter, Sophie
Tickle, Martha
Squire, Ryan
Hardege, Jörg D
Moris, Victoria C
Schirrmacher, Paula
Potter, Sophie
Tickle, Martha
Squire, Ryan
Hardege, Jörg D
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents Adult marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii chemically stunt the growth of juveniles. Moris, Victoria C Schirrmacher, Paula Potter, Sophie Tickle, Martha Squire, Ryan Hardege, Jörg D Within species, individuals of the same age can differ in size. Previously, parental genetics, nutrition, space, and social interactions have been suggested to explain different growth rates. However, direct effects of larger individuals on the physiology and growth of smaller individuals are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how larger individuals of the marine worm Platynereis dumerilii can impact the growth of smaller conspecifics. Comparing growth distributions in communally and individually reared worms, we show that larger worms suppress the growth of smaller ones. Furthermore, we were able to demonstrate that this suppression is chemically mediated. The chemical cue does not originate from faeces but is water soluble, stable for several days and smaller than 3 kDa. Our findings highlight the importance of non-reproduction related chemical signalling, showing evidence that dominant individuals can chemically suppress the growth of their conspecifics. This study provides new insights into how hierarchy can be established and maintained in a population and is particularly relevant for the growing community studying this model species.
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_42237868
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2026
publisher The Journal of experimental biology
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle Adult marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii chemically stunt the growth of juveniles.
Moris, Victoria C
Schirrmacher, Paula
Potter, Sophie
Tickle, Martha
Squire, Ryan
Hardege, Jörg D
Adult marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii chemically stunt the growth of juveniles. Moris, Victoria C Schirrmacher, Paula Potter, Sophie Tickle, Martha Squire, Ryan Hardege, Jörg D Within species, individuals of the same age can differ in size. Previously, parental genetics, nutrition, space, and social interactions have been suggested to explain different growth rates. However, direct effects of larger individuals on the physiology and growth of smaller individuals are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how larger individuals of the marine worm Platynereis dumerilii can impact the growth of smaller conspecifics. Comparing growth distributions in communally and individually reared worms, we show that larger worms suppress the growth of smaller ones. Furthermore, we were able to demonstrate that this suppression is chemically mediated. The chemical cue does not originate from faeces but is water soluble, stable for several days and smaller than 3 kDa. Our findings highlight the importance of non-reproduction related chemical signalling, showing evidence that dominant individuals can chemically suppress the growth of their conspecifics. This study provides new insights into how hierarchy can be established and maintained in a population and is particularly relevant for the growing community studying this model species.
title Adult marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii chemically stunt the growth of juveniles.
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42237868/