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| So you're into sci fi? But what about sci fact? Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction... Each month our very own Voyager Science Queen* will bring you interesting, quirky and downright bizarre tid bits from the world of science. And its all completely, totally, 100% true! November Sci-Facts |
As the Worm Turns… |
So, you’ve just picked your first tomato of the season, and you can’t wait to slice it up and put it on a sandwich – but when you cut into it, it’s infested with worms! Oh no! But when are worms not worms? What has actually set up habitation in your fruit? Maybe they are larvae! And just what is the definition of a worm, anyway? Lets go find out some facts about the real wiggles: flat worms, round worms, segmented worms and the juvenile forms of insects. |
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Flat Worms
(Phylum Platyhelminthes) |
| This is the group that represents planarian flatworms, flukes and tapeworms; their name says it all, really. The planarian flatworms are the free-living representatives of this phylum, living in water or area that remain moist. The flukes and tapeworms are parasites, usually of vertebrate animals. Tapeworms are unusual for having no alimentary system of their own, and obtain all their nourishment though their cuticle (skin); the ferocious heads of these beasts are for attachment only. It is unlikely that any of these animals are the ones burrowing in your tomato…but they could be invading your liver or dwelling in your gut. |
| Round Worms (Phylum Aschelminthes) |
| The most substantial members of this group are the nematodes. In university, it was often pointed out that these are the most numerous of all the worms, so that if you could remove everything else in the world by magic, you would still be able to identify where everything had been by its nematode population. Yes, even the humans… But, even though the parasitical forms of the nematodes cause a great deal of damage medically and agriculturally, other types are vitally important in their role in the breakdown of any rotting organic matter. They are major players in the circulation of nutrients though the environment. Those worms in the tomato could be nematodes, for sure, but let’s not be too hasty. |
| Segmented Worms (Phylum Annelida) |
| This phylum includes the Polychaetes, the Oligochaetes (earthworms) and the Hirudinea (leeches). We can safely declare your tomato leech-free… Polychaetes are often filter feeders; they tend to live under water, in sand or mud, with their filters or tentacles straining the environment for food. Earthworms are cultivators of the soil, burrowers in the dark. There are some arboreal oligochaetes, but they live in the dirt and water that can accumulate in hollows in the branches, not in tomatoes. The one parasitic form does resemble a leech, and it feeds only on crayfish. And speaking of leeches, you can recognise these worms because of their enormous suckers at the posterior end. Leeches do not go for the vegetarian option, and all species feed on blood of other animals. |
| Insects (Phylum Arthropoda, Class Insecta) |
| The larvae of the common fruit fly looks remarkably like a nematode, to the naked eye. In fact, I’d put money on your tomato’s worms being some form of grub. Nematodes will infest the tomato once it starts to rot, but the fruit fly has the advantage of flight and prefers fresh food. Insect larvae resemble worms, but the similarities are cosmetic. Your standard caterpillar, maggot or grub comes with limbs, complex eyes and a range of other organs that the real worms can only dream about…and it will metamorphose into a butterfly, beetle, fly or moth. So, next time, spray your tomato plants with an insecticide - choose something that’s relatively environmentally friendly – and you might get lucky. Nothing beats the taste of a homegrown tomato; after all, a billion fruit fly larvae can’t be wrong! |
| *The Voyager Science Queen is also known as Lynne Green So, who is this woman who attempts to entertain us with Science? Well, I really am a scientist. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland, in Zoology. And, at the moment, I am working in a Pathology laboratory. I have always been intensely curious about every aspect of our universe, from the teeny tiny workings of the gene right up to the mind-bending forces that are twisting and knotting inside a blackhole. So, now I am sharing a brain stuffed full of trivia…and hopefully entertaining people at the same time. As well, I write Fantasy stories and novels. One day, I hope to have a book published, but don't hold your breath. Reading is my other major love, and my favourite authors are Terry Pratchett and Isaac Asimov, though I could list hundreds of others. If I had one wish, I ask for more time to write! Read previous Sci-Facts: Forensics Looking for more scientific oddities? Have you checked out Dr Steven Juan's website? He is, quite literally, the wizard of odds! |
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