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| Poster #103 Digging for Dinner: Exploring How Internal and External Chemical Cues Modulate the Feeding Behavior of Earthworms. |
| Rebeca V Rodriguez1, Folashaye E Araromi2, Jonathan G Mebrahtu2, Ameena A Mohassib2, Laura Ortega-Damian2, Diana M Quiroz-Ruiz2, Tania C Romero2, Renalison Farias-Pereira1,2, Maria A Shumskaya1,2, Mingjing Sun3, Cecil J Saunders1,2 1School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, Union, NJ, United States 2Department of Biological Sciences, Kean University, Union, NJ, United States 3Department of Chemistry and Physics, Kean University, Union, NJ, United States |
The feeding behavior of animals is influenced by both internal and external chemical signals. Earthworms are detritivores that extract nutrients from the decaying organic component of soil. Ecological studies have indicated that earthworms are attracted to soil containing higher amounts of decaying organic material. While these previous studies have not attempted to specify individual molecules that alter the feeding behavior of earthworms, our experiments on the European nightcrawler (Dendrobaena veneta) have indicated that one such chemical signal is free amino acids. Specifically, we have observed that adding solutions of 50 µM to 100 mM L-Glutamic acid (ANOVA F[1,381]=6.971, p <0.01) and L-Alanine (Pairwise T-test, adj-p <0.001, n = 21) to soil significantly alters the soil feeding rate, while Glycine does not. To validate these experiments, we are currently determining and confirming the quantity and type of free amino acids in control and experimental soil using a Waters LCMS Quadrupole time-of-flight system. We have also collected data supporting the hypothesis that changes in an earthworm’s internal metabolic state caused by starvation bouts of 5 to 30 days will significantly increase the feeding rate (ANOVA F[1,38]=9.09, p <0.01). To confirm these starvation bouts are sufficient to induce metabolic changes indicative of starvation, we have measured significant decreases in tissue glucose & trehalose (p <0.05 , n =9), triglycerides (p <0.05, n =9), and total protein (T-test p <0.01, n =9) between 14 and 28 days. Taken together, these results suggest that free amino acids are likely one of the chemical signals that attract hungry earthworms to soils containing more decaying organic material. |