I Was Right |
-or- A Precis on the Newly Articulated Piloting Behavior of the Nematode Genus Mermis |
On the Need for Tolerance in Science
It is my lasting belief that there is, among scientists, a desire not simply to agree, but to agree on the right answers to natural questions. The DESIRE to arrive at a satisfactory answer is a de facto cornerstone of the culture of science. Meanwhile, the PRACTICE of discovery often demands patience not found in the academic paper factories often purported to be doing comprehensive and systematic research. Accredited Universities dependent on fast funding require consistent answers to be delivered in rhythm with grant writing cycles, creating a barrier of noise through which the observations and conclusions of independent researchers cannot often be heard.
The fault of intolerance among modern scientists is not due to a desire to exclude unsanctioned results from the canon of peer-reviewed literature. Indeed, it is the rigor with which scientists are educated which produces at once a valuable work ethic and a healthy skepticism of collegial findings. The temptation to close the book on difficult problems, however, both encourages a provincial bias towards one’s own work AND creates the lazy habits of mind which allow one to extend one’s own findings in an attempt to explain understudied phenonema. Dr. Robert Casper’s dismissal of nematode piloting is just one such example, and the subject of this pamphlet.
The Impact of Lazy Habits of Mind
Prior to Casper’s brief (and insufficient!) description of piloting behavior in the Journal of Nematology (v.12: n.1), my own catalogue of observations of a new species of Mermis exhibiting this behavior was improperly reviewed by several major universities and dismissed as fiction. My offer to collaborate with degreed nematologists to submit a holotype for description of this new species was rejected.
The nematodes in question have been called ‘cryptids’ by my less generous colleagues. It should be noted, however, that this label is used (and should be reserved for) the subjects of cryptozoologists and afficionados of the fantastical, and not for serious (even if not fully credentialed) scientists like this author. Suggestions that I might find a broader audience by targeting “more media-friendly megafauna like the Yeti” only serve to emphasize the unfortunate truth that in academic circles, evidence is often evaluated not on its strengths or falsifiability, but on the ad hominem opinions of tired researchers.
CONSIDER: It might enlighten the reader to note that such animals as the giant squid, the platypus, and the Komodo dragon are among those ordinary creatures once thought to be hoaxes by “reputable” scientists. But the subject of THESE studies (a precis of which you hold in your hand) is not a folkloric beast or 18th-Century chimera! No, Dear Reader, it is an undescribed species of a known genus in the family Mermithidae, the unique behavior of which has already been noted by experts in the field, and expertly misinterpreted by the same.
The Cost of Unobservancy – Can You Afford It?
Dr. Casper and others have observed piloting behavior during their field observations of Mermis nigrescens, an entomopathogenic nematode
Fig. 1. from field notes of Dr. Casper, 2005 |
Fig. 2. from field notes of Waltz and Astor, 2006 |
Fig. 3. Waltz & Astor, 2005 |
You Will Now Learn How to Perceive a Nematode
A nematode, for the benefit of the reader, is a worm in the phylum Nemata, which contains over 20,000 described species, the vast majority of which are not well understood. They are the most numerous multicellular animal on Earth, typically measured in millimeters. A nematode might be comprised of 1000 cells, with 100 or so devoted to reproduction.
Sexual Organs – THEY MATTER!
Had Dr. Casper submitted a single specimen of observed nematode pilots to microscopic inspection, he would have noticed something strange. The genitalia are ALWAYS found on the lower 1/3 of the body, which should tell him (according to the UNL Nematode Lab’s Diagnostic Key to Plant Parasitic, Freeliving, and Predaceous Nematodes) that the genus is Tylenchus, not Mermis. BUT WRONG! It is in fact Mermis, but with a trait typical of Tylenchus, and omission of this fact (as well as the absence of this mistake in Dr. Casper’s findings) demonstrates the uniqueness of my discovery.
Upon dissection, Dr. Casper would have found an overdeveloped orijector, the muscular structure that expels eggs through the genitalia. Additionally, oöcyte production can be seen (without dissection) to be generating larvated eggs, whereas Mermis spp. are generally viviparous, giving “live birth”.
Astonishing Assumptions!
The very imagination for which I had been previously criticized produced several scenarios in which these 3 traits (1. posterior genitalia, 2. overdeveloped orijector, 3. atypical egg production) of nematode pilots could provide a significant evolutionary (reproductive) advantage. My strongest hypothesis (and ironically the stated rationale for the rejection of my previous papers), was that this pilot species ejected its eggs at high speed as a dispersal mechanism. My colleagues rightly point out that this astonishing statement creates more questions than answers. I WILL NOW PROVIDE THE ANSWERS.
Catching High-Speed Nematode Eggs
Internal pressure in nematodes is already
Fig. 4. apical placement of super-orijector |
Fig. 5. Author’s glass plate collection apparatus |
Fig. 6. egg patterns |
Why Shoot Your Eggs?
The Mermis eggs collected in my trials were slightly desiccated, an odd fact given that nematodes are essentially aquatic, living in the interstitial space between soil particles or other substrata. Egg dehydration observed in other species has been attributed without justification to abnormal oögenetic salinity or other speculative diseases, but a good scientist does not find fault with what he doesn’t understand. Nematodes are at the mercy of forces like humidity, surface tension, water percolation, and viscosity of the liquid they inhabit. Viscosity is a property not limited to water, however. Air viscosity studies performed by Stokes provide a clue to the purpose of egg dehydration.
UNDERSTAND: The rate of descent of a drop of water in still air diminishes at 10x the rate of the diminishing size of the droplet. I.e.,
Size Rate of Descent
25μm 1.5 inch/sec
2.5μm 1 inch/min
.25μm 1 inch/2 hrs
A desiccated Mermis egg is approx. 2μm in diameter, which puts the rate of descent at 60 SECONDS for each inch it falls.
Fig. 7. Nematode piloting weevil |
The City Scientist Fails to See the Value of a Cab!
One final failure of my colleagues must now be brought to light, in the form of an explanation for the nighttime piloting habits of this
Fig. 8. Nematode piloting Chrysomelid |
LESSON 1: Water evaporates more slowly in the absence
Fig. 9. Nematode piloting Probe Beetle |
LESSON 2: Mermis is a fungivore, and a light study of the alimentary canal of the species in question reveals that it is packed, mouth to anus, with whole spores.
LESSON 3: Nocturnal observations of piloting fields, where literally thousands of livery insects can be observed on a humid evening, will reward even the casual naturalist with the sight of “kneeling” insects which pause long enough for pilots to board
(possibly triggered by the detection of predatory fungi in the soil). The nematodes quickly devour the bulk of the conidia (spores) already present, then take their position atop their host, who has benefited greatly from this arrangement. (I do not know the behavioral trigger for orijection, but allow me to speculate: Upon receiving a good proteinacious meal, a fungivore’s biological response may be oöcyte production. As none of my esteemed colleagues has taken up this course of inquiry, I shall be happy to supply guidance if requested!) The insect marches, egg-shooting commences, and the tiny dry eggs find a moist new habitat at some distance. THE POWER OF OBSERVATION – the science of biology depends on it! Did Dr. Casper not recognize a cab ride because the passenger and driver were so small?
Revelation and Plea for Tolerance
At the time my paper is accepted for publication, the scientific community will find I have named this newly described species Mermis cordicitus. Until such time as my field notes, observations, and data are available for peer review, may I suggest that nematologists interested in a startling and exciting area of study review their own findings with regard to egg desiccation and piloting behavior, and reconsider the inhospitable and punitive criticism shown to important research conducted outside the manacles of institutional scientific research.
And Dear Reader, will you put aside your preconceptions RIGHT NOW and ACCEPT THE TRUTHS uncovered by a properly executed series of observations conducted in accordance with the Scientific Method? WILL YOU?
TheMermithidTruth@gmail.com
Fig. 10. Nematode piloting Halictid |
Revelation and Plea for Tolerance
At the time my paper is accepted for publication, the scientific community will find I have named this newly described species Mermis cordicitus. Until such time as my field notes, observations, and data are available for peer review, may I suggest that nematologists interested in a startling and exciting area of study review their own findings with regard to egg desiccation and piloting behavior, and reconsider the inhospitable and punitive criticism shown to important research conducted outside the manacles of institutional scientific research.
And Dear Reader, will you put aside your preconceptions RIGHT NOW and ACCEPT THE TRUTHS uncovered by a properly executed series of observations conducted in accordance with the Scientific Method? WILL YOU?
TheMermithidTruth@gmail.com
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