Vinegar eels facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vinegar eels |
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| Illustration of vinegar eels | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Turbatrix
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| Species: |
aceti
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| Synonyms | |
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Turbatrix aceti (vinegar eels, vinegar nematode, Anguillula aceti) are free-living nematodes that feed on a microbial culture called mother of vinegar (used to create vinegar) and may be found in unfiltered vinegar. They were discovered by Pierre Borel in 1656.
Their environment makes them exceptionally tolerant of variation in acidity and alkalinity and they may be able to tolerate a wider range than any other species, being able to survive from pH 1.6 to 11. Vinegar eels give birth to as many as 45 babies every 8-10 days.
Vinegar eels are often given to fry (baby fish) as a live food, like microworms. Although they are harmless and non-parasitic, leaving eels in vinegar is considered objectionable in the United States for example and is not permitted in vinegar destined for American consumers. Manufacturers normally filter and pasteurize their product prior to bottling, destroying the live bacterial and yeast culture that these nematodes require for sustenance.
At high concentration near a boundary, vinegar eels synchronize their undulations, forming a collective wave.
Aging research
Experiments with T. aceti were done to understand the cause of ageing. DNA damage accumulates when the rate of damage occurrence is more than the rate of DNA repair. Accumulation of DNA damage leads to a decline in gene expression. There is a consistent decline in DNA repair capacity with age in the nematode. A second report measured the ability to repair DNA damage in young and old nematodes after exposure to ionizing radiation. They observed that the old nematodes were strikingly less able to carry out this type of DNA repair than young nematodes. These experiments suggest that a decline in DNA repair capability occurs with age. This is the the "DNA damage theory of aging".
See also
In Spanish: Gusano del vinagre para niños
