title: Unusual intestinal lamellae in the nematode Rhabditophanes sp. KR3021 (Nematoda: Alloinematidae).
abstract: The free-living nematode Rhabditophanes sp. has recently been placed in a clade of animal parasites and may be a unique example of a reversal to a nonparasitic lifestyle. Detailed morphological analysis of the intestine reveals the unusual and unique structure of splitting microlamellae forming a meshwork with cavities along the entire intestinal tract. Secretion vesicles were observed along the whole tract and along the length of the lamellae. It is suggested that these lamellae are adaptations to a different digestive strategy where low food availability and a low absorption surface are compensated for by maximizing the nutrient uptake efficiency along the entire length of the intestine. The likely reversal to a free-living life cycle may have caused drastic changes in diet, providing the necessary driving forces to such morphological changes.
authors.affiliation: Nematology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: Wouter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Houthoofd
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Claeys
authors.forename: Marjolein
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Couvreur
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van Driessche
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adriaens
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.forename: Gaëtan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borgonie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009348:Nematoda / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017168:Rhabditida / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure*