Many soft-bodied invertebrates use a flexible, fluid-filled hydrostatic skeleton for burrowing. The aim of our study was to compare the scaling and morphology between surface-dwelling and burrowing earthworm ecotypes to explore the specializations of non-rigid musculoskeletal systems for burrowing locomotion. We compared the scaling of adult lumbricid earthworms across species and ecotypes to determine if linear dimensions were significantly associated with ecotype. We also compared the ontogenetic scaling of a burrowing species, Lumbricus terrestris, and a surface-dwelling species, Eisenia fetida, using glycol methacrylate histology. We found that burrowing species were longer, thinner, and had higher length-to-diameter ratios than non-burrowers, and that L. terrestris was thinner for any given body mass compared to E. fetida. We also found differences in the size of the musculature between the two species that may correlate with surface crawling or burrowing. Our results suggest that adaptations to burrowing for soft-bodied animals include a disproportionately thin body and strong longitudinal muscles.
Differences in scaling and morphology between lumbricid earthworm ecotypes
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Jessica A. Kurth, William M. Kier; Differences in scaling and morphology between lumbricid earthworm ecotypes. J Exp Biol 2015; jeb.119305. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.119305
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