Talk:Osedax frankpressi

Latest comment: 6 years ago by Cwmhiraeth in topic Ambiguity in source and cited article

Ability to metabolise organic material

edit

"... It is probable that the presence of these bacteria, with their ability to metabolise organic material, that enables the worms to live on carcases." Surely the ability to metabolise organic material per se is rather unremarkable, and hardly the sort of thing an animal would need symbiotic help with. Perhaps some more specific ability was meant? Rotcaeroib (talk) 04:21, 2 December 2017 (UTC)Reply

Although the whale remains are described as carcases, I think they are just skeletons at this stage and the bacteria are able to help the worms metabolise bony tissue. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 07:41, 2 December 2017 (UTC)Reply

Ambiguity in source and cited article

edit

@Cwmhiraeth: I had to clear up that ambiguous passage in the article. The source itself is not clear either, I had to crib from the Main Page's DYK entry that specified it is larvae which becomes male when settling on female worms. It was clearer before your edit, and the most likely interpretation of the source, but it's too bad we don't have something more explicit. 2600:8800:1880:C359:5604:A6FF:FE38:4B26 (talk) 04:35, 2 December 2017 (UTC)Reply

Thank you. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 07:41, 2 December 2017 (UTC)Reply