Worms have eyes…sometimes

So, here’s the deal.
A team of scientists (me included) have set out on a research cruise upon the R/V Icebreaker Nathanial B. Palmer to find a whole bunch of Antarctic critters, from sea stars and nematodes to sea pigs (a type of sea cucumber) and bryozoans. However, the ones I am interested in are the annelids.
           
I am Harrison Mancke, a first-year graduate student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington under Dr. Kenneth Halanych. I am interested in the eyes and genes of marine annelids.
           
Annelida Lamarck, 1802 comprises a diverse phylum of segmented worms with more than 15,000 described species. These worms occupy a wide array of ecological niches with a spread of activity (motile to sessile), feeding strategies (e.g. herbivory, detritivory, predation, parasitism, and microphagy), and habitat (marine, freshwater, and terrestrial). They have shown to comprise as much as 70% of macrofaunal benthic diversity. Basically, worms have a lot going on, and sometimes these things that they do to live and survive require them to be able to see.
           
​How does vision come about? Essentially, there’s an advantageous mutation in an organism’s genetic code. This translates to morphological changes, which then influences behavior, which finally contributes (or negates) fitness. It’s a feedback loop of sorts. Some worms have eyes and I want to know why. Not only why, but how long ago in their evolutionary history these eyes developed and how they use them today. The question at the center of all this s a simple one: what do worms see? Especially in such an extreme environment such as Antarctica. I have yet to be able to answer that question.
As of now, we have just hit ice and will begin sampling later today. A few nights ago we saw the southern lights! It was spectacular, I could see the faint edge of the milky way…It’s something I never expected to experience. Not only do I get to see incredible beauty, I get to participate in some incredible science!
 
Harrison Mancke
 
Doctorate student at University of North Carolina Wilmington